Our Siena College Learning Framework provides an excellent foundation for strong learning opportunities for our students. In establishing classes, teachers have examined the quadrants of the Learning Framework with their students and in conjunction with the Classroom Learning Indicators, determined the classroom expectations. These expectations are on the Siena Central class page and provide an excellent opportunity for students and parents to revisit as required. 

As part of providing a safe and collaborative learning environment, students are paired with a ‘Positive Learning Partner’ (PLP). This ensures all students engage in an environment that offers support and trust and develop skills of collaboration and respect for others.

Home Learning at Siena College

Study is an integral aspect of the Dominican faith tradition. Home learning enables students to cement their classroom learning and identify areas for further growth. Home learning also provides an opportunity for students to play an active role in improving their understanding and for parents to work in partnership with their daughters and teachers to positively influence their daughter’s education.

Amount of Home Learning / Study per Subject

Given the varying nature of subjects, home learning requirements will vary.  Part of the learning process for students involves discernment and time management as they plan home learning.  Subject teachers consider the suggested total guidelines and their professional judgement in determining the home learning for their individual subject.  The following is a guide per year level regarding the amount of time that students should spend on home learning:

Year 7:  60-90 minutes per day
Year 8:  60-90 minutes per day
Year 9:  90 minutes per day
Year 10: 90-120 minutes per day
Year 11: 2-3 hours per day
Year 12: 3-4 hours per day

Student Responsibilities

In becoming independent learners, students are encouraged to:

• Use Siena Central to access class learning and to view home learning tasks daily
• Submit work that reflects their best effort and in which they have pride
• Complete and submit all work and assessment or apply for a ‘Application for Change of Submission Date’ form (assignments and tests only) by the due date 
• Establish a regular home learning routine which includes: 

- Accessing Siena Central to confirm Home Learning requirements
- Home Learning/study planner
- Due date calendar
- Regular study/revision of their class work to consolidate learning
- Dedicated learning space free of distraction
- Catching up on missed class work if absent

• Seek assistance from their subject teacher to clarify understanding of learning and task
• Communicate with the subject teacher prior to task due date where a lack of understanding prevents completion of task

Parent Responsibilities

Parents, as the primary educators of their children, are encouraged to:

• Provide an environment conducive to effective home study
• Help their daughter balance the amount of time spent completing home learning with engagement in leisure or recreational activities
• Assist their daughter in developing a home learning/study timetable
• Encourage their daughter to set aside a regular daily session to study/revise and complete home learning and assessment tasks by the due date
• Observe and acknowledge their daughter’s success by asking how their home and class work is progressing
• Check Siena Central subject class pages regularly to monitor that home learning is being completed
• Encourage their daughter to exercise thoroughness and care in the completion of work
• Encourage their daughter to seek assistance from the teacher where lack of understanding exists
• Communicate with class teacher or Head of Student Wellbeing where appropriate
• Assist their daughter in determining responsible use of technology during Home Learning

 A successful learning space should:

• Have a suitable desk and chair
• Be free of noise and distractions (such as the TV, iPhones, social media, other people, etc.)
• Be well organised, allowing easy access to resources and stationery
• Display a 2019 calendar with important dates such as due dates, assignments, key school events, etc. 
• Be well lit and ventilated

The ‘Application for Change of Assessment Date’ form for tests or assignments is available on Siena Central in both the Student Zone and Parent Portal. If required, this must be submitted to the teacher prior to the due date of the task.

Year 7 Home Learning

The Year 7 Home Learning Guidelines assist our Year 7 Students in transitioning and settling into secondary school. Home Learning will commence for Year 7 students on Monday, 25 February 2019. 

To assist Year 7 Students with assessment requirements, a Year 7 Academic Calendar will be compiled and published. This will be made accessible to all students and parents via email and Siena Central. The Academic Calendar will provide an outline of the due week for Unit Assessment and whether the task is to be completed in class or at home. This will be made available to students and parents in the upcoming weeks.

Siena Central class pages and online feedback

Parents are reminded that they have access to their daughter’s subject class pages. This enables direct access to daily classroom learning and home learning tasks. Accessing the class pages provides a useful foundation for the relationship between student, parent and teacher, ensuring all play an important role in advancing their daughter’s learning.

Siena Central also provides the opportunity for students and their parents to receive ongoing feedback regarding the students’ areas of achievement and improvement for each assessment task. Online feedback will be made available to students and parents in a timely manner and can be accessed in the following ways:  

• For students, access the Grades tab on the student dashboard, then select the subject.
• Parents will receive an email notification when their daughter’s work is marked. To access the result and comments, log on to Siena Central through the College website portal. Select daughter’s name in the side menu and select 'Grades' from the options. The percentage result and a teacher comment are available for assessed tasks.

The Siena Central Parent User Guide outlines how to access the above options and other aspects of Siena Central. It is available on the Parent Portal under ‘Useful information’.

Throughout Term 1, parents will be asked to provide feedback on their use of Siena Central. We appreciate your support in collecting this information, to ensure we are meeting your needs and continuing to develop our partnership with you to assist your daughter in her learning.

If you have any questions or difficulties accessing the Siena Central Parent Portal or the online feedback, please contact IT help at the College on 9835 0200 or ithelp@siena.vic.edu.au

We wish all students well in their learning endeavours in 2019.

Donna Laughlin
Director of Learning and Innovation

It has been a busy start to Term 1 Sport with Indoor Cricket, Softball, Tennis, Swimming and Diving all commencing training in Week 1. Our Senior Girls had their first round of competition on Monday with the Softball team winning 14-9 against Firbank and our Indoor Cricket teams both winning against MLC by over 80 runs.

I would like to congratulate Ashling O’Farrell who has been selected in the Victorian Under 15 Girls’ cricket team which will play in the National Championships in Canberra from Tuesday 19 to Wednesday 27 February. We wish her luck and look forward to hearing of her experience.

Term 2 sign ups for GSV sport are now open. Students have received an email outlining which sports are available and explaining the application process. Girls have a week to sign up via an online form and entries close on Wednesday, 20 February.

We now have a Social Run Club on Wednesday mornings. We encourage all girls to join us for a short run/walk around the local area. We meet at 7.30am outside the gym with Nick Baggott, Siena College’s Cross Country coach and aim to be back at school by 8.10am.

Please continue to check in with your daughter regarding GSV sport. We rely on the girls passing information to their parents and emphasise this in any emails sent to them. You can also access our sport page on Siena Central for the latest information. I thank you for your patience and understanding over the last couple of weeks whilst we organised our Term 1 sport program.

Please note there are several girls who still require permission to participate in Term 1 GSV sports. You will receive an email from Care Monkey reminding you to give permission. We are unable to take your daughter off the school campus without parental consent, so please ensure you access your account as soon as possible.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email our sport team at sport@siena.vic.edu.au and they will be pleased to assist.

James Houghton 

The commencement of the 2019 school year has seen the renaming of our Resource Centre to the Albertus Magnus Learning Centre.  The significance of the name change reflects a shift in thinking about the role this physical space plays for the Siena learning community.  Our vision for the Learning Centre is exciting and dynamic.  The Learning Centre will become a hub to foster the development and support of student voice, the promotion of our Dominican Mission and Identity, a place where educators collaborate to develop programs with the Victorian Curriculum General Capabilities (Ethical, Intercultural, Critical and Creative Thinking, Personal and Social) embedded into the learning experience.  The Learning Centre will support STEAM classes and also be a venue to host guest speakers from both within and outside the College. The Library will continue to function out of the Learning Centre, offering all the resources, lunch time activities and services it always has.  We look forward to reporting on the events and activities taking place in the Learning Centre throughout the year.  

The future is, most of all, in the hands of those people who recognise the other as a 'you' and themselves as part of an 'us.' We all need each other.                                                           Pope Francis 2017 TED Talk “Why the only future worth building includes everyone”.

Service to the Community Log Books will be distributed to all students in House Groups during Week 3.  The Service to the Community Program at Siena aims to assist our students to develop empathy and understanding of the lives of others, and to foster a willingness within each student to make a difference in our world.  Students are encouraged to pursue opportunities for service which would develop their understanding of poverty and disadvantage.  

Service opportunities will be advertised from time to time on the 'Service to the Community' tile on Siena Central.  Students are encouraged to seek opportunities for Service within their own community networks and local organisations and are reminded that their Service should be unpaid, practical and of assistance to others.  House Group teachers will periodically check on the progress of Service to the Community Log Books of their students and will report on these in House Group reports each Semester.  Parents are asked to support the College with this important facet of their daughter’s education.     

In December last year, during our summer break, twelve Siena College students attended the ACTURA CASE Space School in the USA, for a unique STEM based experience at NASA. Madeleine Quin (Year 9), Rebecca Gilmartin (Year 10), Grace Kim (Year 10), Amy Linden (Year 10), and Jasmine Skutela (Year 10) attended the Junior Program which took place in Houston, Texas and Huntsville, Alabama.  Lily Dickenson (Year 11), Alexandra Musco (Year 11), Ashley Pietrobon (Year 11), Kaytlin Spencer Smith (Year 11), Zara Turner (Year 11), Taylor Wilkinson (Year 11) and Jade Devlin (Year 12) attended the Senior Program in Houston, Texas.

The following reflections written by our students are a brief insight into this valuable STEM learning experience.

Student reflections

From 9-20 December 2018, twelve Siena College students were privileged to participate in ACTURA’s space school in Houston, Texas. After a journey of almost twenty four hours, we arrived in Houston. On our first day, we went to Ad Astra, a company creating a new form of engine, a plasma propulsion engine. This engine super heats gas into plasma, the fourth state of matter. This plasma provides constant thrust and significantly decreases travel time. In fact, with this engine, a trip to the moon would only take two hours as opposed to fifty seven hours! Following this experience and various shopping expeditions, we finally attended Space University - a five day program at NASA Johnson Space Centre. During this program we made a Mars base, a Mars rover and created a heat shield to protect our ‘eggs’-tronaut! We saw one of the three remaining Saturn V rockets at Rocket Park which was truly amazing. That rocket was huge! Whilst at NASA, we got to see some astronauts in training prepare for an eight hour work day at the neutral bouyancy lab known as the Sonny Carter Training Facility. Here, two astronauts are submerged in a huge pool twelve metres deep to work with a mock up of the International Space Station under water as this simulates weightlessness.  We were so fortunate to meet many astronauts who have worked with the space shuttle program including Nicole Stott.  All in all, this experience is a once in a lifetime adventure and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity. I have definitely been inspired by everyone I met during this trip, especially Nicole Stott, to chase my dreams of becoming an astronaut. 
Jade Devlin Year 12 (SCB)

Over the summer holidays I participated in the trip to NASA. Deciding to join this adventure was one of the greatest decisions of my life. We worked off a jam-packed schedule, waking up at 5.00am most mornings so we could all be out and on the road as early as possible.  Some of the most amazing activities we completed were working in a simulated mission control working as a team to solve problems. For example, at one point I was working for life support and suddenly we had a breach in the oxygen tanks and only four minutes of air left. We had to work as a team and solve the problem so that our crew could land safely. My favourite part of the trip would have to be all the amazing girls I met, and the lifelong friends I have made.  We were all very sad to say goodbye, but we are all still keeping close contact. This was the trip of a lifetime and if anyone gets the opportunity to go on this trip I highly recommend it as you will never regret signing up.
Lily Dickenson Year 11 (SKD)

I had so much fun whilst on Space Camp and learnt a lot about science and the world of space. I really enjoyed trying different machines and learning about the way astronauts prepare for travelling into space. The best part was attending lectures from inspiring people who wanted to help us grow. The presenters were so admirable and I really enjoyed the exposure to a new environment. It was fun trying something new and it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. I would highly recommend participating in this experience if you are questioning whether you should work in this field, or even if you’re curious about space. It teaches you a lot about the world of technology. I met a lot of people and made many new friends. I learnt a lot about myself and I’m so thankful that I was able to take part in this program.
Amy Linden Year 10 (SDB)

The Actura Case Space School trip was the most incredible experience I have ever completed in my life. The exclusive access we received included speeches and meeting several inspiring astronauts encouraging us to one day have a career in the space or science field. Throughout the five days at NASA we worked in teams and made rockets which we launched, created a Mars habitation, programmed and built a rover and tested thermal and cryogenics on our marshmallow astronaut. The recreational activities were also incredible, such as the museum, shopping, NBA and scuba diving.  This trip also created a bond between the members of the B21 group, exploring an unfamiliar place for the first all together, bonding over the same passions we have.  To this day I still miss those 6.00am wake up calls and being on the bus to NASA.  The trip reinforced my real passions for Space Science and I  encourage everyone who loves Space or Science to go on this trip where you learn nothing is impossible.
Alexandra Musco Year 11 (SDB)

The remarkable trip to Houston, Texas allowed me to learn more about the variety of careers available in the space programs. We were given this amazing opportunity to be exposed to another culture leaving me with many unforgettable memories. Attending an American basketball game, the George Observatory and N.A.S.A are only a few of the sensational places we visited while in Houston. This trip was incredible and I would recommend it to anyone interested in pursuing a career in the space industry or just wanting to explore their future career options.
Zara Turner Year 11 (SKA)

During the Space School camp I learnt so many valuable skills such as how to remain focused under pressure in the mission control simulator and how to work with a team.  We learnt how to work with budgets at Space University and were encouraged to never doubt yourself, something my team experienced after we constructed a glove and everyone laughed at its appearance.  In fact we did win, despite its odd visual credentials!  My favourite activity at Space University was definitely cryo and thermo activity. It was fun to experiment with which  materials work best to keep the marshmallow and egg safe. I really liked the mission simulator because it pushed us out of our comfort zones trying to deal with almost losing air and then almost crashing the rocket.  The activities are not just normal school science tasks, you see and experience situations real astronauts encounter for training and on a mission. And if that wasn't enough, you also get to experience swesome events like the NBA.  Overall it was a great trip with many great experiences that I will never forget.
Ashley Pietrobon Year 11 (SDC)

The ‘Year 7 Poetry Competition’ is now open to all Year 7 students. Submissions may be either classwork or a piece that students have worked on at at home.
Winning entries will be invited to take part in a workshop with Melbourne based performance poet, Joel McKerrow when he visits Siena in Week 5. Joel visited the College last year and the students who took part in his workshop really enjoyed working with him as he encouraged them to write from the heart.

Students can submit their poems on the Year 7 English Course Page on Siena Central. Entries close on Wednesday 27 February, 2019.  Year 7 students should speak to their English teacher if they have any questions.

The Convent refurbishment is almost complete and we are thrilled to see the results as we look forward to reopening the Convent and resuming carpark access by 1 March.  Please take the time to click through the gallery to see some images from the beautifully restored interior of the boardroom, Principal's office and meeting rooms.

We extend a warm welcome to the following staff who joined Siena College at the commencement of the school year:

 We would also like to welcome back to the College the following staff who have returned from leave

• Sue Lee (Health and Physicak Education teacher) 
• Michelle Theron (Arts and Technology teacher) 
• Claire Moody (Head of Student Formation) 

And finally congratulate these staff who have commenced the year in new roles:

• Donna Laughlin (Director of Learning and Innovation) 
• Ansalie Hanrahan (Head of Learning Enhancement) 
• Tina Di Camillo (Leader of Pedagogy)
• Bronwyn Illott (Head of Justice Education)
• Minna Denholm (Leader of Wellbeing Programs)
• Belinda Duncan (Head of Religious Education)

On 31 January 2019, members of the SRC across Years 9 to 12 attended a Leadership Forum. This day emphasised our duties as role models at school, and the values of Siena that we must uphold and use to lead by example. The morning started off with an introduction and warm welcome from our Principal, Mrs Robson-Garth, who spoke about our theme for 2019, Called By Name, and spoke of some exciting upcoming events for the year. We were thrilled to hear that Sister Sheila will be on staff for the next 6 months, as she spoke of the current societal adversities in our world and explained the stories of ordinary people who were making a difference. These empowering people started alone and without money and resources, and slowly built an empire that started to change our world for the better. After this, various leadership workshops commenced - these were run by Ms Moody, Ms Levett, Jade and myself. These workshops allowed the different year levels to work cohesively together and share various ideas about what it means to be a leader, as well as brainstorm and delve into more depth about the different qualities a leader possesses. We talked collectively about new initiatives we wanted to see explored at Siena, as well as new ways we can project the student voice. This year the SRC wants to encourage participation across all year levels, and emphasise that leadership is more than those who wear a badge. Following this, the different groups broke off and started planning for the year. The house leaders planned for Fiesta specifically with their House coordinators, and the College Captains and Public Relations Captain planned with Ms Moody some different fundraisers and ways to raise awareness of Project Compassion, which starts on Ash Wednesday. To conclude the day, we held a group reflection. The day was pivotal to students’ development as leaders, and reminded all of our duty to uphold not just throughout the year, but for the entirety of our schooling at Siena. 

Charlotte Lack
College Captain 

 
(L-R) Charlotte Lack and Jade Devlin
College Captains

Registrations are now open for the Siena College Fun Run! Book online today!

Now Accepting Applicants for 2020 Rotary Youth Exchange!

Are you a Year 9, 10 or 11 Student?  You may qualify as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student and have the opportunity to live and study in Germany, France Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Taiwan, Brazil, Hungary, Norway, Spain, Poland, or Switzerland.

The Rotary Youth Exchange Program is a unique opportunity for students to experience the culture of a new country, to learn a new language and develop new friendships. 

Applications are now being accepted and close on Sunday, 7 April 2019.  Students must be under the age of 17 years and 6 months, as at 1 January in the year of departure.

Further information is available from -
www.rotaryyouthexchangedistrict9800.com.au

Host Families Invited Now!

Rotary Youth Exchange invites kind and caring Host Families within the community to assist local Rotary Clubs offer an outstanding exchange program to young people from all over the World.  A Host Family is a vital part of this cultural and educational exchange and typically hosts a student on a voluntary basis for a period of between 10 to 16 weeks. In doing so, a Host family officially becomes a Friend of Rotary International. The Host Family plays an integral role in offering the student the experience of a new culture and language, whilst at the same time learning itself about a different culture from a young leader. It is a direct window to the world for all members of a Host family.

 You not only share a young person’s hopes and dreams, but more importantly, you make those dreams possible. Hosting is the beginning of a lifelong friendship and connection with a student and family overseas. Whilst it can be challenging to help a young person transition to a new culture and ease into the surroundings, it is always fun and the rewards are immeasurable.

 Host Families in the Rotary Youth Exchange program come in many shapes and sizes! Young children, older children, and no children at all, extended families and older generations – all have been successful in hosting exchange students.

Please consider this amazing and rewarding opportunity now. Enquiries are most welcome.

 Further information is available at www.rotaryyouthexchangedistrict9800.com.au

Gabrielle Morgan
Chair: District 9800 Youth Exchange
0419 398 507

Please click here for CSEF application form

Financial Assistance Application (391 KB)   
> View Document

Examinations

Over the past few weeks, our Year 9 to Year 11 students have been sitting their exams, with the last exam being written by our Year 9s on 5 December.  Across all year levels, our teaching staff are very busy marking examination papers and finalising assessment tasks for the Semester 2 reports. Year 9 and 10 examination results will be published on 11 December on Siena Central. Year 11 examination results were published on 29 November. Semester 2 reports will be available on the parent portal on Friday, 14 December.

Year 11 and 12 Headstart Program

After a week of Headstart, Year 11 students will enjoy their last school day for the year on 30 November.  Year 10 students will participate in a three day Headstart Program and will finish school on Wednesday, 5 December. Our Year 9s complete their last exam on 5 December and with Years 7 to 8 will attend their end of year House Group, final assembly and Liturgy on 6 December.

Awards Evening

The annual Academic Awards Evening will be held at the Hawthorn Town Hall on Wednesday, 12 December commencing at 7.00pm. Parents and guardians of students who will receive an award will receive a personal invitation and details of the evening. Invitations to Year 7 and 8 parents and guardians will be sent on Thursday, 6 December after results have been finalised.

Year 7 to 11 Academic Excellence Awards are presented to the top five percent of students in the cohort based on a mathematical calculation of their grades. Year 12 Academic Excellence awards are determined by scores in School Assessed Course Work per subject. 

Academic Endeavour Awards recognise a student who has worked solidly with a spirit of enthusiasm and collaboration. She is both supportive and considerate of other students and shows persistence in her academic endeavours. Year 7 to 11 recipients are required to receive a suitable number of nominations across the year level per subject.  Academic Endeavour Awards are presented to one student in each Year 12 class.

It has been a busy and productive term and as the school year concludes, we wish all our families a wonderful break over the school holidays. Our prayers and best wishes go to our Year 12 students whose VCE results will be released on 14 December. 

The whole liturgical year forms us to be a people with the courage to wait until the Lord comes. Advent trains us in the patience not to begin celebrating too early, resisting the temptation to celebrate Christ’s birth before he comes… Christ is a gift and one respects the gift by waiting for the moment when it is given. 

The Latin word for ‘to wait’ – attendere – means to stretch oneself forward, we are attentive, opening ourselves to what will come.

During Advent, we are like people gathered around the bed, we await the birth. But God’s coming was not just the birth of a child, it was the coming of a word… though it needed thousands of years before there was a language in which God’s word could be spoken in the form of Jesus.

Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP 

I would like to thank and congratulate all our music students who have developed their musicianship and ensemble skills through participation in a huge variety of College events throughout an exciting and rewarding year.  They have represented the Siena music department with great pride in concerts, festivals, recital evenings, tours, workshops,the school musical, Masses and music camp. Thank you to all our music staff for all that they do to make music a major part of so many students' lives.  We wish you a joyful Christmas and a safe and relaxing holiday.

Summer Concert

We extend a warm welcome to families to join us for the Summer Concert on 5 December from 4.30pm to 6.30pm adjacent to the St Catherine Centre on the basketball courts. This concert will feature many of our ensembles performing concert pieces and Christmas carols. Bring along your picnic rugs and Christmas hats and join in the fun.  Student performers are reminded to remain at school after classes conclude.

Hire Instruments

As the year comes to a close we ask all students who will be purchasing their own instruments over the holidays to please return their hire instruments after the Summer Concert, so they can be cleaned and prepared for the new Year 7 cohort. 

Melbourne International Women’s Jazz Festival

The Siena College Stage Band has been invited to perform at the Melbourne International Women's Jazz festival as part of the students night on Tuesday, 4 December at the Jazz Lab in Brunswick. It is a great honour to be one of the three schools invited to perform and recognises the standard of our band. For more information and ticket bookings click here

Siena College Instrumental Music Examinations

Seventeen students from Years 7 to 10 participated in our Siena College music examinations. We would like to congratulations all students for their diligence in preparing for their exams. The results were outstanding and reflective of the practice and effort they put into their instruments.

We have had a busy Term 4 of GSV Sport with many Water Polo, Cricket and Basketball teams participating over the last six weeks.  Our Junior B and C teams have been particularly successful, making it to the finals after strong performances in their semi finals at MSAC.

Term 4 finals signify the conclusion GSV Sport at Siena College for 2018. Thank you to all the girls for their participation, it has been a great year for Siena once again and all are to be congratulated. 

Please note that our Celebration of Sport Awards Evening will be held at Camberwell Grammar School on Thursday, 6 December 2018 from 7.30pm to 9.00pm. Award recipients have been notified and their families have been invited. If you would like to attend, please contact me at jhoughton@siena.vic.edu.au as we would be more than happy to accommodate you.

We wish to recognise Georgia Byrne, Year 11, on her fantastic achievement of being selected to represent Victoria in Rugby Sevens. The tournament will be played in Brisbane next week and we wish Georgia the best of luck.

In the latest edition of Siena Career News you can read about a new tertiary course search website, which allows students to search and filter courses based on ATAR, study score and location.  Also, for students interested in Screen, Sound and Creative Media, there are a few events coming up, such as the SAE Information Night in December and the University of Melbourne Filmmaking school in the holidays.  JMC Academy are also holding an Open Day in January.

Students interested in a career in Sport may want to read about a program developed between the Carlton Football Club and LaTrobe University.  Please refer to Siena Career News for further details on this diploma pathway into the Bachelor of Sport Coaching and Development.

According to Socrates, ‘Philosophy begins in wonder’. Do you ever find yourself wondering about those big ethical or philosophical questions? For example, do all creatures have a mind or is everything we see real? Or maybe, how do we know the right action to take or is lying always wrong? Questions such as these have been the focus of debate amongst philosophers for thousands of years. 

Small groups of thoughtful Year 7 and Year 8 students accepted the challenge to consider some of life’s unanswered questions by attending a philosophy program delivered by the Learning Enhancement Department. Each fortnightly session gave students an opportunity to examine some of life’s biggest topics such as perception, beauty, discrimination, art and aesthetics, racism, ethics, truth, forgiveness and identity. They were asked to come with an open mind, to think and share their ideas and to listen without prejudice to the opinions of others. 

In each session, students were asked to respond to some form of stimulus based on the topic being considered. Each student demonstrated an ability to think creatively, to work as part of a team, to examine and consider multiple perspectives of a given topic. It was exciting to watch these young philosophers at work, engaging with ideas that challenged them to think and wonder about their world from new perspectives.

Student Reflections

‘Philosophy this year has taught me to be open and to speak my mind.’
Maliana Tapusoa

‘I loved Philosophy because it gave me the opportunity to challenge my ideas and to think deeply about certain topics.’
Pia Perini

‘I have been exposed to new ideas and thought about things such as beauty and art in ways I never would have before’
Guilia D’Angelo

‘I have loved spending a period each fortnight talking about interesting topics and interpreting them with friends’
Charlotte Ryan 

Participating Year 7 Students: Sophie Barnetson, Lauren Edwards, Charlotte Jennings, Evie Goodale, Sophie Birrell, Justina Flunt, Alyssa Leong, Angelina Rodos, Alessia Tevere, Aurora Neumann, Madeline Castoldi, Angelica Rizk, Yasmin Korfiatis, Ella Castoldi, Alessia Erzetic-Nadalin, Jessica Higgins, Mia Kelly, Kayla Huynh, Sienna Saunders, Amber Wadia, Mia Fenton, Sarah Baxter, Amali Hawkins, Ella Jennings, Bridget Quinn, Jasmine Tubb, Carly Walsh

Particpating Year 8 Students: Bridie Warren, Charlotte Dickson, Mikayla Rollnik, Abbey Harford, Mailiana Tapusoa, Daria Del Tito, Giulia D’Angelo, Amy Barnett, Bita Afshar, Trinity Ng, Gabriella Sakkos, Sarah White, Ella Graham, Pia Perini, Madeleine Quin, Aurelia Tjitji, Charlotte Ryan, Sienna Justus

Student Reflection

'As a part of the Year 9 curriculum, we completed a 'Healthy Food by Design' class which included growing vegetables such as silverbeet, coriander, parsley and spring onions. We worked to prepare the soil, plant the seeds and then cared for the plants as they grew.  Unfortunately, our garden bed was located in a rain shadow, meaning the garden bed lacked sunlight and needed a little bit more than was available.  However, it was still an absolute joy to watch our seedlings grow into plants over the course of the subject.

Although our journey was broken up by the Term 3 holidays, we were delighted to see that the garden bed was still in pristine condition when we returned to school in Term 4.  Overall, this project was inspiring and heartwarming as we were able to give back to both the community and the environment. Throughout the subject we gladly devoted a portion of our recesses and lunchtimes to water the garden bed. It was a rewarding experience and I am extremely thankful to have been a part of it.'

Audrey Hawkins 
Year 7

On Friday 16 November, we welcomed one hundred and forty eight Grade 6 students to our College to begin their transition into secondary school. 

The girls began the day with assembly and shortly after were allocated to their Houses. Everyone participated in a variety of 'getting to know you' activities with their Head of Student Wellbeing before breaking for recess. 

They were then placed in smaller groups, which rotated throughout the mid-morning session. This provided an opportunity for the girls to make connections with a variety of students from other primary schools. At Siena we understand the importance of relating and belonging. A great sense of belonging promotes positive student wellbeing and generates success in the academic classroom. As such, our Transition Day is structured around creating a strong sense of community. 

During lunch the girls were able to sign up for Girls Sport Victoria (GSV) in Term 1 and were introduced to some of the Siena sports faculty staff.  The day ended back in House areas where the girls reflected on their first experience of Siena College. 

Many thanks to all involved with the preparation and implementation of the Transition program. 

Minna Denholm
Transition Coordinator.  

Christmas has come early for Siena Archives.  Wendy Edwards (Class of 1967) recently sent us a number of uniform items including the long sought infamous yellow sports tunic.  We are so delighted and grateful.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all who have donated items this year. We have received photos, badges, pennants, a video, uniform items, reminiscences, a college spoon, magazines and books written by past students. We are very appreciative of the support we continue to receive from our Siena community.

Maria Ang and Maureen McAuley
College Archivists

Reminder that Secondhand Uniform Shop is open Saturday, 1 December.

Give a gift with impact this year. Pledge your support for First Nations families changing the future for the next generation of children in Central Australia and the Top End of the Northern Territory.

We are breaking the cycle.
We are changing the system.
We are Children’s Ground.

 Donate now and walk with us!

Mass of Remembrance

November is a significant month of remembering in both secular and church calendars.  Around 8 November, the Dominican family remember those who have died.  On this day members of the Siena community gathered for a Mass of Remembrance to honour those who had died, especially in the past year.  Candles were lit and loved ones named during the Gathering Rites and roses were presented to all assembled at the end of our liturgy prior to refreshments being enjoyed in the Conference Room. We are grateful to Sr Julianna Drobik OP, Cathy Carr and our celebrant, Fr Kevin Toomey OP for their organisation and support of this important Eucharist.

St Mary’s House of Welcome Outreach

St Mary’s House of Welcome opens the doors daily to over two hundred people living in ongoing poverty. Each year our College undertakes a Christmas Hamper Appeal to benefit this community– these are compiled in House Groups and staff groups across Siena. Please take the time to discuss your daughter’s contribution with her and visit              https://www.smhow.org.au/ to find out more about this important justice initiative.

Australian Teens and Religion

In the 2016 Census people declaring that they have ‘no religion’ formed the largest response category in each age group until 65+, whilst migration continues to reshape Australia’s religious profile in unexpected ways. In this context a major study of Australian teenagers discovers the textures of their spiritualities. While most declare that they have ‘no religion’ that is in fact far from the whole story. Just released data provides the facts to help understand Generation Z who are the largest generation and the leading edge of the future. Read more here. 

Years 9 - 11 Examinations 

Our Year 11 students have commenced their examination period and we wish them all the very best. The Year 10s and Year 9s will commence exams on Friday, 23 November and Wednesday, 28 November respectively.

The examination timetable and the College expectations in relation to examinations have been emailed to all Year 9 to 11 students, parents and guardians. The exam timetables are also available on the Siena Central Portal for both parents and students. Subject teachers have published a revision package for each year level on Siena Central. Year 11 examination papers will be returned through House Group on Friday, 30 November and results will be available on Siena Central on Thursday, 29 November at 3:30pm. Year 9 and 10 examination papers will only be available in 2019, due to time constraints. However, Year 9 and 10 examination results will be published on Siena Central on Tuesday, 11 December at 3:00pm.

2019 HeadStart Program

We will once again run a Headstart program for our Year 11 and Year 10 students.

On Monday, 26 November, the current Year 11 students will undertake a five day Year 12 Headstart program concluding on Friday, 30 November. The current Year 10s will undertake a three day program commencing on Monday, 3 December and concluding on Wednesday, 5 December.

Each Year 12 subject will be allocated five periods and each Year 11 subject will have three periods allotted. Students will be given a brief overview of the course, as well as holiday home learning. Students will need to bring writing materials, but all other resources will be provided either via Siena Central or by the subject teacher. 

Please note that 2019 staffing has not been finalised and therefore, the subject teacher who takes the Head Start class may not be the 2019 subject teacher. 

End of Year Dates

Years 7 to 9 students will finish on Thursday, 6 December at 12:30pm. 

We are looking forward to the celebration of our students’ academic accomplishments at our Academic Awards Evening on Wednesday, 12 December. Invitations to this event will be emailed to the award winners, their parents and guardians in the coming weeks. 

The last VCAA Examination takes place on Wednesday, 21 November and the Year 12 results will be published on Friday, 14 December. There has been a wonderful, positive energy surrounding these examinations with students commenting on the fairness of the examination papers. Our students have been behaving in an exemplary manner and doing themselves and the College proud. With just a few exams remaining until Wednesday, many of our students will have finished their examinations or will do so shortly. May you and your families enjoy some much deserved relaxation. I would like to acknowledge and thank all of our Year 12 teachers who have worked tirelessly to prepare our students. 

The following 37 students participated in an Australian Music Examinations Board practical exam this year. Congratulations to everyone involved for their hard work in preparing for the exam; we hope you found the experience educational and rewarding. The results were outstanding and reflective of the practice and effort you put into your instruments. 

In 2019, we will begin the year with a selection of sculptures from our current Year 7 Art students on display at the Term 1, Zart Art Exhibition. The artworks were generated during the 3D folio Unit where the girls were challenged to design and construct a Mythical Creature that also incorporated visual elements from Mexican folk art –Alebrijes. The sculptures utilised wire armatures as the framework on which a paper clay skin was applied and then painted in elaborate designs.

The exhibition opening is on Thursday, 20 December 2018. Congratulations to the following students who will have their artwork on display during Term 1, 2019 in the Zart Art Student Gallery at Box Hill:

Lucy Parnell
Isabella Spillane
Athena Tsonis
Isabelle Monaco
Sarah Murphy
Priya Doyle
Eleni Pope
Ciara Newman
Indira D’Sylva
Yasmin Korfiatis
Grace Condon
Maddie Simmons
Abbie Sullivan
Kaitlin Patterson
Anita Boussioutas

It has been an exciting month for Mathematics at Siena College. Our Year 12 students have been working extremely hard in preparing for their VCAA examinations, completing a multitude of practice papers at school and at home. We hope they have been able to successfully navigate their way through the examination period, and we wish them well for the future.

Our Year 7 cohort had a visit from the World of Maths where they were able to do some fun hands on STEM activities in small groups.

In August a number of our students sat the Australian Mathematics Competition run by the Australian Mathematics Trust. The girls recently received a certificate with their results, with Maria Ng receiving a high distinction, placing her in the top twp percent across Australasia. We also had twelve students receive Distinctions across Years 7 to 10, with another thirty five also receiving Credits. We congratulate all the girls that participated and we look forward to providing them with further opportunities to challenge and extend themselves next year.

Dear Parents and Guardians

Thank you all for your cooperation and understanding with the parking restrictions and site traffic management thus far. As per our previous correspondence, there will be further changes from Tuesday, 20 November 2018 as we commence with the driveway works.  

Buses will now collect and drop off students on Riversdale Road, between the entry and exit gates.  This will become a bus only zone and will be sign posted by the Boroondara City Council.  This means no parking or standing for cars in this zone. Staff will be present as students arrive and depart from buses.

To assist parents, the attached College map provides three options for morning and afternoon drop off/pick up, to alleviate pressure on limited parking and congestion in the narrow roads surrounding the school boundary:

Siena-College-Map (366 KB)   
> View Document

1. Pedestrian Gate 7 (at the rear of the school, off Hocknell Street) will be open between 7.30am to 9.00am and from 3.00pm to 5.00pm
2. Pedestrian Gate 8 (off Wattle Valley Road) will be open from 7.30am
3. Pedestrian Gate 4 (adjacent to the gym on Riversdale Road) will also be open for student access, as normal 

Please note there will be no pedestrian access to the College via Compton Street. By parking in a legal manner with consideration for our neighbours, congestion around the school grounds will be reduced and safety maintained. The safety of our students and easing congestion for busy parents are of paramount importance. We hope that these combined measures assist all parents as we undertake these vital building works.

 In the latest edition of the Siena Career News there are important dates for Year 12’s, an Information Evening next week at Swinburne University and details of the Academy of Interactive Entertainment Open Day this weekend.

For current Year 10 and 11 students, there is information on a three day school holiday Science Program at Monash University from 9 - 11 January.

Open exhibitions include the Monash University MADA exhibition, the Whitehouse College of Fashion graduate’s exhibition and fashion runway and Deakin University’s Paperspace Exhibition which showcases the work of their Architecture students.

On 2 November, students from Years 7-10 completed a six week short film appreciation course. The primary focus was to learn about suspense, theme, plot, and character by viewing a combination of award winning live action and animated short films. Prior to each viewing session, students learnt about the theory, students then watched the film(s), and finally students discussed the theory, drawing evidence from the films. Students reported that they found the films 'surprising' and 'clever', particularly when the films had twist endings.

Students who took part were Aurelia Tjitji, Cara Chen, Emily Ovens, Indira D'Sylva, Lucinda Burgin Uhlherr, and Olivia Redford.

Siena College is pleased to advise that the next stage of our parent portal, Siena Central, to go ‘live’ will be the 2019 fees schedule.  Parents will be emailed a link and letter from the Chair of the Siena College Board on Thursday, 22 November.   All parents are encouraged to update their details via Siena Central and video tutorials are available to assist with the process.  If you require any assistance, please contact ithelp@siena.vic.edu.au

Portsea is often called the playground for the rich and famous. Prominent in this seaside area is Delgany Castle, now part of a holiday resort and frequently advertised in the media. For the Dominican community, the excerpt above highlights our thoughts when we think of ‘Delgany’

We are fortunate to have in our Archives the above quoted issue of ‘The Dominican’. It gives an extensive physical description of Delgany and an account of the earliest days of the school.

Caring for deaf children has been a treasured ministry of our Dominican sisters. Siena students, especially of the 1950s and 1960s, had a particular connection to Delgany. Archival donations from our past students include photos of Delgany, its pupils and buildings. We have a letter from one Siena student, during a weeklong stay at Delgany, describing to another student the activities she is missing by not being there. A number of Dominican sisters, who are past students of Siena, taught at Delgany including Srs Frances Caine and Joan Winter.

We extend a warm welcome to the following new staff:

• Jennie Young commenced as our College Receptionist
• Simone Robertson commenced as a Learning Enhancement officer 

As we continue the enrolment process for students wishing to enter Siena College for Year 7 in 2020, we would like to remind any current families with daughters in Grade 5 to please ensure that you have submitted an enrolment form.  Enrolment information and our College Prospectus can be viewed online at www.siena.vic.edu.au/enrolment/enrolment-procedures

Parents can now complete an Application for Enrolment online at https://apply.siena.vic.edu.au

Halloween

All Hallows = All Saints, Feast of All Saints/Hallows,1 November
E’en = Even(ing)
Evening before the Feast of All Hallows = Halloween, 31 October

Before commercialism hijacked this beautiful commemoration many cultures remembered their dead around this time.  It is felt to be when the veil between heaven and earth is at its most fine.

Mass of Remembrance 

One of the obligations of Christians is to pray for the dead. It is also an important part of the Dominican spiritual tradition.  Siena hosts a Mass of Remembrance close to the Church’s celebration of All Souls Day each year.  This year’s Mass will be held in the College Chapel on Thursday, 8 November at 7.30pm.  

Feast of St Martin de Porres (3 November)

A Dominican saint, Martin is the patron of mixed race people, barbers, innkeepers, public health workers and all those seeking racial harmony. Read more about him here.

Year 12 Graduation Eucharist

‘As much as you are a challenge, you are a gift to us too, as you are seeing your life, your family, our society through fresh eyes; you want to claim your independence and that may mean clashing with us, your family and friends – we accept that and promise to be with you in that; you have shown in your way of being here within the College that you are living and claiming some very important values – among them a passion for questions of justice… My personal wish for you is that you continue to allow your inner spiritual selves to grow strong. Look to the Creator, the God who is present to us in Jesus, who, whether we recognize it fully or not, is daily and always at your side, accompanying you at every moment, in the tough and dark times, as well in the good and joyous. Be messengers throughout your life of Siena College’s great motto: VERITAS, TRUTH. You know that this evocative word has stood you in good stead for the past six years. May it continue to be a reason for hope in yourselves and your best reason for living. And may God may go with you in truth, peace and love, throughout the joyous days of your future lives.’
Fr Kevin Toomey OP

Image Captions
Main Image: Mia Catalano, 2018 Ministry Captain
Gallery Image 1: All Saints All Souls
Gallery Image 2: Martin de Porres

Term 4 is a hive of activity and preparation as the VCAA exams commence and our students in Years 9 to 11 prepare for their exams. Please remember that our staff and teachers are always available to offer help and support.

As we approach the weekend, we would like to remind you that the College is closed on Monday, 5 November, the day preceding Melbourne Cup Day. There will be staff supervising the VCAA examinations and monitoring phone messages but the College and Student Receptions will be closed. 

Important Dates for this Term

1 November: 2019 Year 11 student subject choices sent via email 
1 November: 2019 Year 11 Booklists emailed to parents and students
1 November: Year 9/10 Revision materials published via SC 
2 November: Year 11 Activity Free week commences
5 November: Student free day
5 November: VCAA Exams, Further Mathematics and Business Management
8 November: 2019 Years 8 to 10 student subject choices sent via email 
8 November: 2019 Years 8 to 10 booklists emailed to parents and students
9 November: Year 11 Revision commences 
9 November: Year 10 Activity Free week commences

Curriculum Writing Day

On Wednesday, 24 October, Siena College teaching staff participated in a highly productive day updating the curriculum and assessments dates in preparation for next year.  The 2018 courses were reviewed with a focus on what the essential learnings are, for our students in 2019. Staff will continue to work on finalising the documentation that will then be uploaded onto Siena Central.

Siena Central

As our community becomes more familiar with the Parent Portal of Siena Central, it will become our primary method of communication and the information available to you will be gradually expanded. The College key dates, exam timetables and booklists are now available on the Parent Portal. We ask that you utilise this wonderful resource to assist you with sourcing information in regards to the College and our scheduled activities. When you log in to Siena Central the first page provides access to the ‘Tiles’ below, to facilitate your search. On the far right we have an ‘Important Information’ section that offers links to the most current and relevant documentation.

You are always welcome to contact the College if you experience any difficulty logging in or locating information.

During the second week of term, we celebrated Arts and Technology Week culminating in our annual Visual Arts and Technology Exhibition. Artist in Residence, Lucile Sciallano introduced the girls to her 3D ceramic printing practice where the girls learnt how this method allows the production of artwork that is very different to that of traditional clay building techniques. Students also had the opportunity to view the Year 12 Drama Solo Performances prepared in readiness for their end of year examination. Other activities included an opportunity for students to create a painting using virtual reality equipment, experiment with robotics and join in a lunchtime disco. All these activities allowed students to participate and deepen their exposure to The Arts and Technology.

The Visual Arts and Technology Exhibition showcased diverse work from Year 7 to 12 students and it was wonderful to see the culmination of all the hard work and effort from the Year 12 students. I would like to thank our special guest speaker, Amanda Meiklejohn from Williams Ross Architects, who shared with us her career journey and kindly opened the exhibition. Across all areas of Art and Design, students produce many beautiful, creative and skilful works. Mietta Borg, Year 12, was the recipient of both the Principal's Award and People’s Choice Award with her mixed media conceptual artwork titled ‘38 months’, which explored her own personal journey with a medical condition. She is a very deserving winner who bravely dealt with an issue that was personal to her and others suffering from the same condition.

I would like to congratulate all the staff and students involved on a very successful Arts and Technology Week.

Young Adult author, Ellie Marney visited Siena College last week to work with our Year 9 English students who are preparing for their next unit on ‘Crime Writing’.  Ellie worked with each Year 9 class, talking to students about how she develops ideas for a crime story. Each class then worked together on their own story concept.

This was an invaluable experience for our students to learn how published authors develop story ideas. Students will continue working in their English classes on their own story concepts.  We thank Ellie for spending time with our Year 9s and we look forward to seeing the thrilling crime stories they will produce!

Siena College has had a busy start to Term 4 GSV Sport, fielding several teams in Cricket, Water Polo and Basketball. Our Cricket teams have had mixed results so far, with the Junior team (pictured) overcoming Ruyton Girls’ School, while falling just short against Lauriston Girls’ School, losing by two runs in the last over. Our Junior Water Polo teams have had several weeks of training with an enthusiastic squad and have their first round of game this week. Our Basketballers continue to produce promising results, the standout teams so far have been the Junior B and C teams, which have won of all their games and currently sit first in their zones. 

On Saturday, 20 October, Siena College Sport was on full display at our annual Open Day, with the final of the Tennis tournament and a number of Aerobics routines. Many prospective parents and students toured the College and were able to familiarise themselves with Siena’s sports facilities and GSV program. The final sporting event for the year, the Celebration of Sport Evening, will be held in December, where we will recognise the amazing sporting achievements of our students. 

There are a number of individual sporting achievements to note:

• Emer McGing, who finished as the National Champion in the Junior Ladies 17 Years Championships at the Australian Irish Dancing National Championships in Cairns. An outstanding achievement!
• Victoria Zikas, Johanna Zikas and Laura Griss participated for the GSV Representative Soccer team at the Interstate Challenge competition in the Gold Coast. They won all four games against representative state teams to win the whole tournament. 

Many thanks to Johanna Zikas and Chloe Dang for their efforts as Siena College Sports Captains for 2018, we wish them all the best for the future. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome the 2019 Siena College Sports Captains: Monica Ciampa and Melitta Allen.

Rising Stars Concert

On Wednesday, 31 October all Year 7 Instrumental Music students performed in the inaugural Rising Stars Concert in the College Hall. The energy was electrifying from the student performers who thoroughly deserved the rousing audience applause. The concert included performances from Junior Band, Junior Choir, Junior Guitar Ensemble, Junior String Ensemble as well as solos, duets and chamber ensemble performances. It was a fantastic opportunity to feature our talented students in Year 7 and to celebrate how far they have come since the start of the year. Congratulations to all students and staff on a wonderful evening.

Summer Concert

The Summer Concert will be held on Wednesday, 5 December from 4.30pm at the rear of the school. This is a relaxed concert with many of the large and small ensembles performing pieces they have been working on this term, including Christmas carols. This is a whole school event and we warmly invite the wider Siena College community to come and enjoy the festivities.

Key Dates

Tuesday, 4 December:  Melbourne Womens' International Jazz Festival, Jazz Lab Brunswick.  Stage Band required
Wednesday, 5 December: Summer Concert, Siena College from 4.30pm.  All ensembles
Monday, 12 December :Siena College Awards Evening, Hawthorn Arts Centre. Canti Dolce, Stage Band.

Current year 10 students and families are invited to attend the Kopanang Immersion 2019 Information Evening, on Tuesday, 13 November at 6.30pm (Albertus Magnus Library).

Year 11 (2019) students have the opportunity to participate in what has been described as a life changing and enriching immersion program in South Africa. Kopanang is a womens' community project that addresses the impact of HIV/AIDS and endemic poverty in the township of Tsakane situated 55 km south east of Johannesburg. It is a township created as the labour force for the gold mines in the area through forced removal of people in the apartheid era. After the last mine closure in 2006 there has been an unprecedented level of unemployment impacting more than 80% of the population. Most of the women of Kopanang have been deprived of an adequate education, further exacerbating their ability to survive and provide for their families.

The Kopanang community project was cofounded by Sr Sheila Flynn OP to provide the women with a healing space to share their life experiences, their faith and cultural heritage and to learn embroidery and craft skills to enable them to generate a small income. 

Students also assist at Sithand’izingane Care Project, located on the same site as Kopanang, which provides a child care program for pre-school children, many of whom are orphaned, a home based support program for the sick, a feeding program, tutoring and afterschool educational programs for the children and adolescents in the township.  Students spend two weeks living with a host family in Tsakane and assist with the everyday programs offered at Kopanang. 

This week’s edition of Siena Career News contains some very important information for Year 12s in particular, but will also be of interest to students and parents in other year levels.  Students should always be aware of pathway courses into their 'dream course' at tertiary institutions and this week’s Siena Career News lists the best ways of entering particular universities in the event that you do not receive the ATAR required for your preferred course.

There are also timely suggestions regarding some useful websites and apps to assist with study skills and exam preparation, a new Diploma in Screen and Media at Holmesglen Institute and some new initiatives from Monash University.  These include 'Parent Chat', information and advice for parents on science degree options at Monash and an event, 'Experience the Peninsula Campus' – with a focus on Para Medicine, Nursing and Education.  

College Register

Our College register is precious. The beginnings of Siena come to life when we read the names, beautifully handwritten, of our first students. The first page reveals the names of two very special women in our community. Loyis Gibson (née Olive) is student number seventeen and Sr Frances Caine is student number twenty-one. As Archivists, we note with interest that Loyis is spelt ‘Lois’ in the register. Both Loyis and Frances began their life at Siena on 4 February 1941. We value their wisdom, their memories, their donations, their support and especially their continuing presence and connection with our staff and students. We are blessed to have Loyis, Frances and other early alumnae as regular visitors to Siena.

Special thanks to Jacqui Raynor (née Harris).

At the end of last term, Jacqui donated a Siena College badge which had been worn by her family in the 1960s.

Maria Ang and Maureen McAuley
College Archivists

 Image captions

1. 1941 College Register
2. Margaret Smith and Frances Caine
3. 1941 College photo
4. 2018 Alumnae Panel 

As we continue the enrolment process for students wishing to enter Siena College for Year 7 in 2020, we would like to remind any current families with daughters in Grade 5 to please ensure that you have submitted an enrolment form.  Enrolment information and our College Prospectus can be viewed online at www.siena.vic.edu.au/enrolment/enrolment-procedures

Parents can now complete an Application for Enrolment online at https://apply.siena.vic.edu.au

Fiona R of Year 10 was the lucky winner of the Amazon Alexa Echo Dot in the Canteen's Term 3 Online Order competition!

Congratulations to Fiona from all of the Canteen staff!

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Siena Parents' Association Annual Raffle, drawn today by Carmel Musco, SPA President.

First prize: 
Fazna Farook
One year's College fees or a Travel Voucher to the value of $13,300

Second prize:
Lisa Mavraganis
One term's College fees or a Travel Voucher to the value of $3,300

Third prize:
Carly Gruzewski
$1,000 David Jones Voucher

Thank you to our community for your generous support of the SPA Annual Raffle and congratulations to all winners.

We congratulate all of our students whose work was selected for this year's Shared Stories anthology, a joint project between twenty four Victorian regional and metropolitan Catholic secondary schools.  This year's theme was 'Live Simply, Simply Live' and featured a diverse range of writing and artwork across all year levels.   We are proud to share some excerpts of our student's work:

They are mammoth now
Knocking the breath from my chest
Bottomless mounds of blue, rising and falling mercilessly
Ribbons of silty water twist along the deck
Fear is in my mouth and eyes and ears and heart

I am sitting
In the corner
There is a gust of warm wind
And I hug my knees, shivering

 Waves spit against the boat
And sea spray covers my face like freckles
My hunger is a monster
Snarling for attention, clawing at my insides 

Surely it isn’t much further?

Juliet Guthrie, Year 9

Death and the girl looked at each other for quite some time.

‘Well, you’re here early,’ said Death eventually.
‘I guess so,’ said the girl, ‘shouldn’t you be used to this by now?’
‘I suppose I should be,’ sighed Death, ‘you don’t seem very frightened.’
‘Yeah,’ said the girl, ‘I guess it can’t be helped.’

They were standing on a cliff at the edge of a forest. The sun was setting behind a vast skyline of trees,
which stirred slightly every once in a while due to a rogue puff of wind. Two birds were singing gaily to
each other in the distance.

‘So,’ said Death, ‘where are we?’

Kayla Gadaleta, Year 10

Congratulations to the Class of 2018

We are once again so pleased to congratulate our Year 12 students on their outstanding results in the 2018 Victorian Certificate of Education.  Our students are our greatest assets and the Class of 2018, like those before, have developed into articulate, accomplished and empowered young women during their time at Siena College.

3% of students achieved an Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranking (ATAR) of 99 or above, placing them in the top 1% of students in the State

12% of students achieved an Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranking (ATAR) of 95 or above, placing them in the top 5% of students in the State

28% of our students achieved an Australian Tertiary Admissions Ranking (ATAR) of 90 or above, placing them in the top 10% of students in the State

57% of students, over half, achieved an ATAR of 80 or above, placing them in the top 20% of students in the State

The College maintained a Median Study Score of 34 for the seventh consecutive year

17.5% of Study Scores were 40 or above, placing them in the top 9% of students in the State

Median ATAR of 83.73

Congratulations to 2018 College Dux, Katherine Kim, who achieved an ATAR of 99.85 and the following students who all scored over 99:
Elizabeth Dee 99.75, Bianca Cleland 99.6, Lily Jackson-Martin 99.0

Seven perfect Study Scores of 50 were achieved
Business Management: Sarah Murphy, Bianca Cleland
English: Lily Jackson-Martin, Bianca Cleland
Health and Human Development: Grace Power
Legal Studies: Bianca Cleland
Physical Education: Grace Power

I thank and commend the Class of 2018 on the contribution they have made to Siena College over the past six years in all endeavours that they have pursued. Their leadership, service to others and their contribution to the cocurricular life of the College have added to the richness of our community. We are immensely proud of the young women they have become and I am confident that they will go on beyond the gates of Siena and make intelligent and responsible use of their personal gifts.

I would also like to acknowledge the expertise and guidance of our staff who have supported then throughout their time at Siena College.

Gaynor Robson-Garth
Principal

Dear Parents and Guardians

We wish to advise all parents that building works on the Convent are ongoing as the final stages of this project are completed. From the beginning of Term 1, the front carpark area and driveway will be unavailable for student drop off and pick up. The main entrance and exit gates on Riversdale Road will be accessible only to staff and buses. School buses will operate as normal, with additional barricading for student safety around the Convent. 

To assist parents, the attached College map provides three options for morning and afternoon drop off/pick up, to alleviate pressure on limited parking and congestion in the narrow roads surrounding the school boundary: 

• Pedestrian Gate 7 (at the rear of the school, off Hocknell Street) will be open between 7.30am to 9.00am and from 3.00pm to 5.00pm 

• Pedestrian Gate 8 (off Wattle Valley Road) will be open from 7.30am 

• Pedestrian Gate 4 (adjacent to the gym on Riversdale Road) will also be open for student access, as normal Please note there will be no pedestrian access to the College via Compton Street. 

The safety of our students and easing traffic congestion for busy parents are of paramount importance. We hope that these combined measures assist all parents as we complete these vital building works. These restrictions will remain in place until further notice.

Thank you

Tony Grant
Business Manager

Building Works Map (371 KB)   
> View Document

We pray…

Over the school holiday break and over the past fortnight we have witnessed the forces of nature devastating lives in other parts of our world

God of mercy and compassion, we ask for your blessing on those whose lives have been affected by recent natural disasters.                                               
Comfort them in their loss of family, friends and community.                           
Give them the gift of hope to see beyond their pain and loss.

Give strength to those who work with them to rebuild their families and communities.                                                             
Bless them for their willingness to be with the grieving, the injured and the homeless.

Amen.

Visual and Performing Arts Week

“The artist is a witness of the invisible and works of art are the clearest proof that the incarnation is possible.” Pope Francis 

Much has been written about the connection between the arts and spirituality; Dominicans through the ages have recognised the integral part that the arts play in preaching God’s Word to a hungry world.

During the course of this week students and staff have been provided with rich opportunities to engage with the arts on many levels – this experience of the transcendent though words, actions and images is very much a part of our charism and its appreciation of beauty in the everyday.

Learning and Teaching Curriculum Writing Day

Wednesday, 24 October is Curriculum Writing Day for teachers and therefore a student free day.  Teachers work in teams to update the curriculum and assessment dates in preparation for 2019. It is a very productive day as our staff begin the process of reviewing 2018 courses and what the essential learnings are for our students.

2019 Year 10 to 12 Bring Your Own Device

Current Year 9 students who have been using an iPad over the last two years, may continue to bring that device to support their learning in 2019.  Alternatively, students in Years 10, 11 and 12 may choose to bring another tablet or laptop to Siena College to use.  The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program enables senior students to choose the technology that best suits their needs and learning style.  

In 2019, we recommend one of three options; a Tablet, Windows Notebook Device or an Apple Notebook Device. We have a partnership with ‘CompNow’ who provide new devices at competitive prices.  A letter will be sent shortly with further information regarding preferred devices.

VCAA Examinations

We wish all our students undertaking Unit 3 and 4 examinations the very best in their study and in their examinations. We would also like to acknowledge the dedication and work of our committed Year 12 teachers who have worked with our girls this year.  We wish all students well as they prepare for these final semester examinations.

2019 Subject Selection

Over the next weeks, students will receive via email their 2019 proposed subjects and the Booklist package.  If there are any issues with subject selections, students should contact Liz Carr. 
The dates for release are as follows:

• Year 12 on 25 October
• Year 11 on 1 November
• Years 8, 9 and 10 on 8 November

2019 Year 7 families will be emailed next Thursday, 25 October regarding access to the parent portal, Siena Central.  Here they can view book lists and iPad requirements.

Over the first week of the holidays, nine very fortunate Year 10 and 11 students had the privilege of participating in Siena’s Indigenous Immersion Program in Alice Springs, Northern Territory. The trip offered an authentic opportunity to learn more about ancient Aboriginal culture amidst the amazing landscape of the Australian outback.

To commence the trip, the Siena girls teamed up with Catholic Mission to host a soup van in Alice Springs. We offered both food and drink to indigenous and non indigenous locals, it was very humbling to offer small gestures of support to people facing a range of challenges. Our girls showed considerable maturity and empathy in helping people living with considerable disadvantage. The soup van gave us plenty to think about – particularly a reinforced sense of gratitude at how fortunate we are. 

We were very grateful for the opportunity to immerse ourselves with indigenous students from Alice Springs’ Flexible Learning Centre throughout the trip. Together we explored beautiful parts of Alice Springs such as Simpsons Gap and Emily Gap, and learnt how to cook traditional kangaroo tail out in the hot Australian outback. Their continued presence and hospitality was invaluable and offered an authentic experience for our girls. 

Towards the end of the trip, it was great to take a break and put our ‘tourist’ hats on and enjoy the magnificent sight of Uluru, both at dawn and dusk. The transforming colours of the rock face under varying degrees of light was amazing and provided plenty of great photo opportunities for our girls. Seeing such a cultural icon up close was unforgettable, and we were stunned by both its beauty and size. Our 10km walk around Uluru provided a chance to see the rock up close, including various waterholes and Aboriginal paintings at its base. 

Dom Loschiavo
Teacher

Each term, teachers and students focus on a different Learning Quadrant from our ‘Shared Understanding of Learning’ framework that reflects our pedagogical practice and promotes teaching and learning endeavours in the classroom. In Term 3, the focus was on the ‘Learning Skills’ quadrant:

Throughout Term 3, I was able to conduct Learning Walks with students from Years 7-12, asking them to reflect on how ‘skills’ have enhanced their learning in the classroom. These are some of the student responses:

 What kinds of learning skills have you developed in this class?

 ‘Creative thinking’
‘ to effectively plan my writing piece’
‘to communicate my ideas in group discussions’
‘to be more focused on independent learning’
‘ I am able to locate information and analyse it’

How does your teacher enable you to use critical and creative thinking skills in the classroom?

 ‘through interactive learning: guided and independent practice’
‘through group discussions and activities: learning from others’
‘by allowing us to collaborate with others through seating plans and putting us into different learning groups’
‘by encouraging us to ask questions and to find out the answers ourselves’

How do you show your learning in this class?

‘through self-reflection journal writing’
‘by answering questions in discussions’
‘by participating – being engaged, active listening, present- centred’
‘by helping to teach others – peer tutoring’
‘through assessments both formative and summative’
‘getting feedback on your learning from the teacher’

How does your teacher inspire independence in you as a learner?

 ‘sometimes it is better to work on your own to really test your learning and understanding’
‘teachers sometimes encourage us to take risks when learning something new’
‘the teacher challenges me to learn new things – step out of our comfort zone’
‘by asking us to answer questions in front of the class’
‘allowing me to make mistakes and learn from them’

This term we will focus on the fourth and final quadrant – Learning Relationships:

 Our learning focus in Term 4 will be on continuing to forge strong working relationships in the classroom between students and teachers and students and students to build on the skills of collaboration and continuing to foster learning partnerships in the classroom to maximise successful learning outcomes.

Michelle Robertson

Cabaret Night

The inaugural Cabaret Night was held 11 October in the Susan Alberti Auditorium. It was a terrific evening featuring Siena’s pianists and vocal students and students from Years 7-12 were very excited to perform for an appreciative audience. The vocalists performed contemporary repertoire and the pianists performed a wide range of solos. I would also like to acknowledge the ‘house band’ and the instrumental teachers for preparing students for the evening. It was fantastic to see so many students who have limited experience performing solos performing so well.

Clarinet Workshop Day

On Monday 15 October all the Siena College clarinettists attended a clarinet workshop day with Georgina Oakes. Georgina is an internationally recognised clarinettist with experience as a soloists and orchestra player. Our students participated in masterclasses, performed in a combined clarinet ensemble and they were amazed at Georgina’s recital. Thank you to Mr Ed Ferris for organising such a wonderful learning opportunity for our students.

Siena College has begun Term 4 sport with a busy first few weeks, with senior cricket and basketball games being held twice a week. Junior and intermediate basketball for Girls’ Sport Victoria (GSV) has also started, with fixtures through until late November. Siena College has had mixed results in basketball, with our senior (2 teams) and junior (6) teams winning and losing similar amounts of games, as well as our senior cricket team off to a strong start, beating Our Lady of Sion College and Ivanhoe Girl’s Grammar School comfortably. Siena College’s junior water polo and junior cricket teams commence shortly. All the best to all of our teams for the season ahead.   

Siena College Sport is looking forward to the annual College Open Day, with the Latingata Morrom gymnasium open to prospective students and parents, showcasing the fantastic facilities and programs on offer. We will also have the final of our Tennis tournament and our school aerobics team will have an opportunity to display their fantastic national routines. Our annual Celebration of Sport evening is also fast approaching (more details to follow), where we will be celebrating the fantastic year of sport and the team and individual achievements. 

Late in Term 3, six politically astute students attended the Victorian Secondary Students Parliamentary Constitutional Convention to debate the interesting topic, "Does the Constitution meet the needs of Modern Australia?". Students from thirty schools across Victoria debated and discussed in Victorian Parliament's Legislative Assembly chamber and ultimately strongly disagreed with the proposition. Congratulations to Mia Horozides, Teagan Matthews, Jema Mueller, Katya Scacco, Annie Walsh and Natasha Walsh for representing Siena with pride and talent. They now have the chance to be selected for the National Convention in Canberra in March 2019.  .

Michael Petrie
Year 10 Politics Teacher

The buzz was electric at Kingswood College on Wednesday 10 October for the Year 8 Academic Challenge. Siena’s Year 8 students Sienna Justus, Trinity Ng, Lucy O’Connell, Pia Perini, Mikayla Rollnik, Charlotte Ryan, Maliana Tapusoa and Aurelia Tjitji joined with 107 enquiring minds across eight schools testing their skills in Mathematics, Science, General Knowledge, Public Speaking, English, Code Braking, Poetry and Art. The event embodied the collegiate spirit with each team composed of mix of student from different schools. These events provide our students with precious opportunities to expand their minds and develop healthy networks with like minded students.

Building works have commenced on our iconic Convent and Cloisters, as we transform this area into the Gateway of the College.  We thank all parents for their patience and understanding during these works. 

What a fabulous fundraiser to start our scholarship fund!  Our thanks once again to guest speaker, Jade Rawlings and our sponsor, Mitchelton Wines.  

The latest edition of the Siena Career News features some reminders about important dates for Year 12s as well as information on the new UCAT test for entry into Medicine courses in Australian Universities.  There is also information on a Maths bridging program run by Swinburne University for students who do not have the VCE Maths recommended for the undergraduate degree of their choice at Swinburne.  Health Sciences are always popular course choices for our students but many are unaware of the benefits of studying Orthoptics, this week’s newsletter explains what Orthoptics is and where a degree in Orthoptics can take you.

A warm welcome is extended to all of our new staff:

• Anna Page commenced as a Religious Education Teacher
• Rena McKenzie commenced as a Mathematics Teacher 
• Josh Bennier commenced as an Instrumental Music Teacher

 At the end of Term 3 we fondly farewelled:

• Maria Contaxis who has worked as the College’s Assistant Business Manager for the past five years. We wish Maria well as she explores new opportunities.
• Lisa Anderson who has looked after our students and staff over the past three years as our Health Centre Coordinator.  We wish her well in her new role at Box Hill TAFE. 
• Emily Caracella who has commence her parental leave.  We wish her well and look forward to sharing her wonderful news with you soon. 

As we continue the enrolment process for students wishing to enter Siena College for Year 7 in 2020, we would like to remind any current families with daughters in Grade 5 to please ensure that you have submitted an enrolment form.  Enrolment information and our College Prospectus can be viewed online at www.siena.vic.edu.au/enrolment/enrolment-procedures

Parents can now complete an Application for Enrolment online at https://apply.siena.vic.edu.au

Another busy and productive term has drawn to a close and I am sure everyone in our community is looking forward to a few weeks at a slower pace and some time to reflect.  

Last week we conducted interviews for 2019 College Captains.  Eight students undertook a rigorous process of application, an interview with the Leadership Team and the presentation of their speeches at the College Assembly, to students and staff.  Each student spoke passionately and eloquently and it was wonderful to see such strong role models among our senior students.  We thank all students for their outstanding contributions and warmly congratulate Jade Devlin and Charlotte Lack, our College Captains for 2019.  

Fourteen students and three staff departed earlier this week for the Chinese Culture and Language Trip.  Another nine students and two staff left yesterday for Central Australia as part of the Indigenous Immersion experience with the Catholic Mission group.  We look forward to hearing of their travels on their return in Term 4.

We have had cause to celebrate this week with some wonderful individual and team results:  

• Zoe Kelly (Year 9), Angelina Rodos (Year 7) and Jasmine Skutela (Year 9) represented the College with distinction at the Mount Alexander Schools Chess Challenge
• Edie Mitra (Year 8) represented Victoria at the School Sports Australia Diving Championships in Perth, placing fourth in the one metre and three metre Springboard events and achieving a silver medal in the Team Synchro competition 
• Jemma Rigoni (Year 8) won bronze in the GSV 400m Athletics finals for her age group
• Our Aerobics team achieved remarkable results at the National AeroSchools Championships on the Gold Coast.  Jessica Higgins (Year 7), Olivia Kershaw (Year 8) and Ella Graham (Year 8), coached by Chelsea Buswell (Year 11), placed first in their division.  All results are published in Sporting News

As we commence Pillar IV of the Butterfly Campaign, Transforming the Convent into the Gateway of the College, we remind families that building works will commence over the holidays.  There will be disruption to access from the beginning of Term 4 with the front carpark and driveway unavailable for student drop off and pick up.  Communication has been sent to families regarding alternate drop off points.  Please click here for further information. 

Mrs Robson-Garth is presently on enrichment leave as part of the retired and current Principals tour of South America.  The tour has included visits to missions in Bolivia, work with Christians for Peace in El Salvador (CRISPAZ) and visits to places of Dominican significance including the Las Casas Institute.  She writes of her experience: 

I have no words to describe this amazing place.  There is a deep sense of spirituality and the most amazing mountains I have ever seen.  We have had some very moving and confronting experiences, meetings with people in El Salvador searching for loved ones who disappeared through Mexico trying to get to the US, visiting a memorial to over 70,000 who were killed in Peru by the Shining Path, including Josephite Nun Irene McCormack and children as young as three.  Yesterday, in contrast to the impressive Spanish architecture of Lima, we visited an area in the outskirts called Canto Grande that people are flooding into. We also met the father of liberation theology, ninety year old Gustavo Gutierrez and visited the place where Archbishop Romero was killed.  

We wish all students, staff and families a safe and relaxing holiday break.  We hold the Year 12 students in our thoughts and prayers as they undertake trial exams during the second week of the holidays and as they prepare for their final VCE examinations. Term 4 commences for students on Monday, 8 October.

Celebrate Year 12

Year 12 students marked their final Religious Education class for the year on Thursday in a moving Liturgy .The gathering was launched with a special message from Mrs Robson-Garth in Peru, accompanied by some of the beautiful images from her pilgrimage to South America.  Ministry Captain, Mia Catalano led the Liturgy where girls added to a cumulative reflection on their Siena experience and College Captains, Antoinette Collins and Hannah Petrowski shared their insights on the 2018 College Theme, 'One Body, Many Parts'.  Teachers offered readings based on this theme and returned letters that the girls had written in one of their first Religious Education classes in February, outlining their hopes and dreams for their final year of school. Heartfelt thanks to Year 12 Catholic Studies teachers and student leaders for assisting in the preparation of this celebration.

Blessing of Immersion Participants

In the Christian tradition it is commonplace to send travellers on their way with the blessing of the community, and so we gathered with the 2018 Indigenous Immersion cohort on 13 September to celebrate the Eucharist together.  At the end of the Eucharist, College Chaplain, Fr Kevin Toomey OP blessed our Immersion participants with the following words:

God of all pilgrims
you walk with us on every step of our journey.
Bless these travellers  
Siena’s participants in the 2018 Indigenous Immersion experience.
May they travel lightly with:
eyes that are open to the beauty around them,
ears that are open to stories of dignity and pain
hearts that are open to signs of hope
minds that are open to new perspectives and insights
and hands that are stretched out in friendship.

May they travel with our prayers, good wishes and trust.
May those that remain behind journey with our travellers
as we gaze nightly on the moon and stars.
May Dominic guide them to share the Good News in their deeds and words.
May Catherine inspire them to be truly at one within themselves.

We ask our good and gracious God to guide and protect each one of you and return you safely
to our community with stories of an ancient people striving for justice and equity, faith, hope and love.

We make this prayer through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Parent Teacher Interviews

Thank you to all parents and guardians who attended the recent Parent Teacher Interviews.  Just a reminder that the 2018 Term 3 Interim Reports can be downloaded from Siena Central.

Unit 3 and 4 Trial Examinations

The Unit 3 and 4 trial examinations will run from Monday, 1 October to Thursday, 4 October. Students will receive their corrected trial examination papers in Term 4. A statement of trial examination results will also be available for parents to access on Tuesday, 16 October.

Term 3 Holidays

There will be no set holiday learning for Year 7 to 9 students, however, Year 10 and 11 students will have holiday home learning. Students undertaking a Unit 4 subject will need to use their holiday break well in order to prepare for the trial examinations and the upcoming VCAA examinations.

Members of the Siena Community gathered together on Friday, 7 September to participate in the annual Night of Change.  Students, parents and staff entered into the evening with high spirits and generous hearts.  Siena musicians, including the Stage Band and Year 12 students, entertained the crowd with their usual high quality performances.  Families, friends and colleagues sat in teams, shared food and participated in Disco Bingo, Trivia and Silent Auctions.

The night is a major fundraising event for the Kopanang Community in South Africa.  Participants from the 2018 South African Immersion shared their personal experiences and stories of the privileged time spent living with these wonderfully stoic, inclusive, funny and empowering women.

The evening was a wonderful success and a reflection of the hard effort and dedication of our Student Representative Council (SRC) and the generosity of Siena families and local businesses who donated services or products for the Silent Auction and other prizes.  Our Night of Change raised just over $5500, all of which will be donated to the Kopanang Community Trust.  The funds will go towards improving the lives of the women and families of Kopanang.  

Aerobics

Our Aerobics team achieved outstanding results at the National AeroSchools Championships on the Gold Coast this week.  Team placings were as follows:

• First Place, Level 3 Intermediate Trio: Ella Graham, Jessica Higgins and Olivia Kershaw 
• Second Place, Level 4 Senior Group: Samantha De Monte, Ellie Dickinson, Emer McGing, Claudia Perez and Bec Pitman
• Third Place, Level 4 Senior Pairs: Samantha De Monte and Emer McGing
• Third Place, Level 4 Intermediate Group: Sophia Bolton, Meg Curtin, Emma Highfield and Grace Kim
• Fourth Place, Level 3 Intermediate Group: Madeleine Duff, Sophie Gazzola, Olivia Gibbin, Alannah McCarthy and Kaitlin Patterson
• Sixth Place, Level 4 Intermediate Pairs: Meg Curtin and Emma Highfield

Ella Gurry and Tess Hayes also performed brilliantly but were unlucky not to place in the Level 5 Intermediate Pairs.  Congratulations to all students, including Chelsea Buswell (Year 11) for coaching the winning team, and to staff and parents who accompanied the girls. A wonderful team effort!

Well Done, Edie 

Congratulations are extended to Edie Mitra, Year 8, who recently represented Victoria at the School Sports Australia Diving Championships held in Perth. Edie placed fourth in her one metre and three metre Springboard events and achieved a silver medal in the Team Synchro competition.  Edie was very pleased with her dives and her achievements are a wonderful acknowledgement of the commitment and dedication she displays to her sport.

GSV Results

Wrapping up a full season of Athletics, nine Siena College students participated in the GSV Athletics Finals at Lakeside Stadium on 11 September. All students did their best and represented Siena College with distinction, particularly Jemma Rigoni who won bronze in the Year 8 400m event. All of the students who came to the weekly training sessions and various GSV Athletics events throughout the term are to be congratulated on an exciting and successful season for Siena College.  

Siena College was well represented at the GSV finals, with the Second Intermediate Volleyball team finishing winners for their division and finishing third overall.  All three Junior Year 8 teams finished winners of their divisions, with the B team finishing premiers and the A and C teams runners up. Our Junior and Intermediate Soccer teams also performed extremely well, both winning their divisions and finishing runners up overall, with both teams showing a positive attitude and strong commitment.  Well done to all of the participants for Volleyball, Soccer and Badminton, who gave their best each week at training and during matches, all contributing to a successful term of sport for Siena College. 

We are eagerly anticipating Term 4, with many students involved in GSV Water Polo, Outdoor Cricket and Basketball. The final sporting event for the year will be the 2018 Celebration of Sport evening, details for which will be provided in Term 4. We look forward to an exciting term ahead and wish everyone a good holiday. 

Siena dads, have you booked you ticket to our upcoming Dads' Night In?  Exciting news: we have secured Jade Rawlings, former AFL star, 2018 VFL Coach of the Year and Siena parent as our guest speaker.  We are looking forward to a great night of fun, complete with barbecue, wine tasting (with thanks to Mitchelton Wines), virtual reality games, raffles and more. Click the image below to book: 

In partnership with The Ark Clothing Co., we would like to extend an invitation to our community to attend our Fashion Show on Friday, 26 October at 7.00pm in the Susan Alberti Auditorium.

Siena alumna, Megan Sloley (Class of 1983) has joined The Ark Clothing Co. and her team have put together a Fashion Show that provides our guests with an opportunity to view The Ark’s new summer collection.  The clothing will be modelled by The Ark employees and the styles cater for all ages and body shapes.  Ticket price also includes canapés, drinks and a Personal Styling voucher valued at $25.

Click the image below to book your tickets

On Wednesday, 12 September, six Year 12 Siena Students participated in the St Vincent de Paul Street Retreat program.  The opportunity, open to school students aged sixteen years and over, allows students to shadow the Fitzroy Soup Vans for the evening.  The vans run each night and stop at numerous locations throughout the city, providing warm meals, sandwiches, hot drinks and items such as socks, underwear, personal hygiene products, beanies and blankets to those experiencing homelessness.  

It is both a humbling and eye opening experience to come face to face with people who are in such desperate circumstances.  Through smiles, conversations, laughter and the simple act of sharing food with each other, barriers between our students and these individuals diminished.  Vinnies aims to ensure that, through their services, the dignity of each individual is maintained.  

Siena students benefited greatly from this opportunity, reflected in their testimonies below.  The school program is exceptionally well organised, with students thoroughly briefed before they depart for the evening. We look forward to being more actively involved in this program in 2019.  

Student Reflections:

'On entering the Street Retreat program held by Vinnies, I was unsure of what to expect. I found that we were fully immersed in the evening and felt a greater sense of community hidden amongst the Melbourne CBD, between the students, other volunteers and those currently experiencing homelessness. I found the whole experience inspiring and felt a real generosity between all the people I met during the evening. I learnt from this experience that something as small as a smile has the ability to bring happiness into an individual’s day and to broaden the sense of community in Melbourne. I am definitely keen to take part in more volunteer work like this in the future!'  Melanie Myrtle 

'On reflecting on the opportunity to volunteer with the Vinnie’s soup van, the aspect that struck me the most was the invisibility of homelessness in our society. I have enjoyed walking these same streets with my family and friends and have never realised the sheer numbers in our city who experience homelessness, nor the difference both a nutritious meal and a human connection could make to someone experiencing homelessness. That a simple smile or look in the eye can make a difference in a person’s day and to their feeling of self-worth and dignity.  We learnt about a regular client of the service who took two buses and a tram and then rode his bike to one of the city stops, only to decline any offers of food.  He just wanted the conversation.  He followed the van to each of the other stops to continue the conversation throughout the night. It made me aware how overlooked and ignored people experiencing homelessness often are, and how invisible they must feel.  I met a man who, during his career, had made valuable engineering contributions to Melbourne.  He now experiences homelessness. I also met a woman who had fled domestic violence that night and was experiencing her first night on the street.  She had nothing but the clothes she was wearing.   Volunteering with the Van made me feel so grateful for everything I have and to reaffirm to myself to never take anything for granted as our lives can change in a minute.  I would encourage everyone to participate in this volunteering experience.'  Grace Oliver 

'It was surreal to drive around a less crowded Melbourne city with the Soup Van. The stark contrast of visiting the city's icons,  such as Federation Square and the Queen Victoria Market,  during a week night provides a completely different perspective of our society. I continue to reflect on the variety of situations that led to these people needing the support of Vinnies. Some were fleeing domestic violence or had experienced a relationship breakdown, while one man had been coming to the Soup Van for over forty years after being the innocent victim of a coward punch.  The experience working on the Soup Van was a rewarding reminder of life beyond school. The smiles, optimism and gratitude encountered highlights that even when lifes greatest challenges present themselves, we must continue to provide solidarity as the greatest support.'   Madeleine Harriss

On Tuesday 18 September, five chess club students headed off early for Castlemaine to attend the Mount Alexander Schools Chess Challenge, which was held in the historic Old Castlemaine Gaol. 

Schools competing on the day included Castlemaine Secondary College, Girton Grammar, Bendigo South East, Melbourne High, Olivet CC, and Siena College. The games were timed with students playing seven games each over the course of the day. The chess tables were set up in the corridors of the gaol, with prison cells either side. The cold eeriness of the cells brought to the students the harsh reality of the living conditions of the inmates during the operating time from 1861 until 1990. And the solitary confinement of each stone walled cell reflected the solitary concentration the students have during a game of chess. The only noise you could hear was the clicking of the timers after every turn. I’m not sure if the chill in the air was the actual temperature or the ghosts of prisoners that were hanged for their crimes in days gone by, their bodies buried somewhere on the gaol grounds, standing upright so their souls would never be free.

The results of the day were outstanding, a gold medal to Jasmine Skutela (Year 9) and a Silver medal to Angelina Rodos (Year 7) for coming first and second respectively in the girls division. Both girls along with Zoe Kelly have qualified for Chess Victoria State Girls Final.

The Chess Club will continue next term, Wednesday lunchtimes and the Secondary Girl’s State Final will be held on Tuesday 16 October at St Catherine’s School, Toorak. Parents are welcome to attend the event.

Heather O’Keefe 
Learning Enhancement Department 

The World Scholars Cup Global Round in Melbourne saw 1600 students from 27 countries descend on the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, with some travelling from as far away as Canada, Jakarta and Dubai. The extravaganza ran over six days (17-21 August) in the beautiful South Wharf area with various competitions at host schools around Melbourne. The goal of this competition is to inspire in young people a love of learning, confidence in new skills and a sense of global citizenship.

Our intrepid scholars Mia Kelly, Lauren Edwards, and Jessica Higgins experienced the hectic pace of scavenger hunts, keynote speeches, panel discussions, the signature Scholar’s Ball, community-building events and rigorous competitive events. A true experience in debate, and build new friendships among fellow scholars from all over the world. Our Siena students found the experience immensly rewarding as they’ve expressed in their following reflections.

Student Reflections

“World Scholars Cup was an amazing experience, that provided a platform for students to connect and learn together, and meet people their age from all over the world. I learnt a lot from this experience, not only about the topics we were studying, but also social skills and creating new relationships with those around me. It taught me how to effectively study, and how to memorise large amounts of work. World Scholars Cup has given me a platform to make long lasting friendships with people all over the world, and has helped me gain lots of academic, and social knowledge.”
Jessica Higgins, Year 7

“At World Scholars Cup I learnt many things and was immersed in different cultures and their traditions. During the global round 1,600 students from all around the world came together  not only to enhance our learning and overall knowledge but to learn things we could not learn at school or anywhere else. There were six different subject areas we had to study - science, literature, music, social studies, history and the special area. These topics can be applied to all my schoolwork especially English and science as we really focused on those subjects especially the science of memory, the nervous system, films and literature of all forms. I really enjoyed that we had multiple events and activities that allowed us to merge with the other teams and countries and make new friendships that will last even after our time at world scholars is finished.”
Lauren Edwards, Year 7

The 2018 Victorian Chinese Language Teachers’ Conference was held at Camberwell Grammar School on 7 - 8 September.  It was at Camberwell Grammar sixty years ago that Chinese language was taught for the first time in Victoria, and actually anywhere outside of China except for some Asian countries.  Chinese has now become the most spoken community language in Victoria and one of the most taught languages in Victorian schools.  

To celebrate this milestone, special guests were invited to the Conference to congratulate the achievements made by Chinese teachers.  Among them were Josh Frydenberg, Deputy Liberal Leader and Treasurer, Mr Zeng Jianhua, Acting Consulate General of the PRC in Melbourne, Dr Fuxin Li, the President of CLTFA, and Mr Jixing Xu, President of CLTAV.

“Learning a language is a window to another culture, a window to tolerance, and a window to friendship,” said Mr Frydenberg.

Dr Jane Orton, the Graduate School of Education, the University of Melbourne talked about “developing quality and sustainable Chinese programs...(these) are not outcomes, but comprehensive strategies”, she explained.  Dr John Tuckfield of Camberwell Grammar has been teaching Chinese for thirty years and said that Australian Government language policy change has shown a shift from the Eurocentric policy to a focus on the Asia-Pacific region. 

The keynote speeches were followed by group discussions on the updated VCE Chinese Study Designs to be implemented next year and beyond.  A high school music band from China and some students from local schools performed traditional and modern Chinese music and dance, which was greatly appreciated by the audience.  

This week’s Siena Career News contains a reminder for Year 12’s to complete their VTAC application and pay the application fee by 27 September.  The closing date for SEAS and Scholarships is 12 October. Information sessions for extension programs at the universities are all listed – this will be of interest to students in Year 11 who are considering studying a University subject as part of their VCE.  

The reunion season at Siena is busy and exciting for both the Alumnae Office and for us in Archives. It gives us the opportunity to research and find memorabilia, photos, magazines, events, trophies, awards and yearbooks relevant to the past students who are attending the reunion.

On the day itself, it is such a joy to see the women (and their inner student) greet former classmates with shrieks of recognition, laughter and hugs. The volume and level of chatter increases as each new group of friends arrive.

It is very rewarding for us, as archivists, to see the women huddled in groups, looking at the PowerPoint, searching the photos on display boards and perusing items on the tables of memorabilia. It is a privilege to witness the bond between these women of all ages and their Siena.

We would especially like to thank Janine Bucci (Class of 1989) who recently donated her blazer and sports uniform to the Archives. We are always grateful for donations, especially those which fill the gaps in our collection. 

Maria Ang and Maureen McAuley 
College archivists

Each year the Siena Parents’ Association (SPA) hold a second hand Book sale with the support of the College, the Siena community and volunteers to assist in the sale, purchase and donation of student books.

This valuable service provides families the option to buy/sell preloved student books whilst assisting the SPA to fundraise and ultimately reinvest in College facilities to enrich our daughters’ College experience. 

This year SPA has engaged Recycled Text books for the Second Hand Book Sale.  Further correspondence relating to the intake of books and sale will be emailed to parents early next term, along with the second hand book list.  In the interim please diarise the following days:

Intake Days for second hand books

Wednesday, 5 December       8.30 – 10.00am Intake day for books from Year 7 and Year 8 Students
Thursday, 6 December           8.30 – 10.00am Intake day for books from Year 9 – 12 students
Friday, 7 December                8.30 – 10.00 am Intake for all year levels

Second Hand Book Sale – Exclusive Sale Event for Siena College
8 December 2018 @ Recycled Textbook Store
12 Arcade Road, Mont Albert North

9.00am – 2.00pm for Year 10, Year 11, and Year 12 parents
2.00pm – 7.00pm for Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 parents

To learn more about Recycled Text Books registration please visit here

As we continue the enrolment process for students wishing to enter Siena College for Year 7 in 2020, we would like to remind any current families with daughters in Grade 5 to please ensure that you have submitted an enrolment form.  Enrolment forms and Prospectus packs are available from Reception or on the College website

'The real damage is done by those million who want to “survive”.  The honest people who just want to be left in peace.  Those who don’t want their little lives to be disturbed by anything bigger than themselves.  Those with no sides and no cause.  Those who don’t like to make waves – or enemies.  Those for whom freedom, honour, truth, and principles are only literature.'  
Sophie Scholl, White Rose member (1921-1943)

Matilda Baker, Georgia Smith and Jana Lianos were privileged to attend the White Rose Mass at Xavier College Memorial Chapel on Wednesday, 22 August.  The Mass was to mark the 75^th anniversary of the executions of six members of the White Rose, a group of German citizens who stood in opposition to the Nazi regime and paid the ultimate sacrifice.  

Following the Mass, our students participated in a Human Rights Forum with peers from schools throughout Victoria.  Participants reflected on current Human Rights issues and explored the courage involved in standing up and speaking out.  Students discussed the many and varied ways it was possible to make a difference in our contemporary world.  

Overwhelmingly, our students walked away feeling both challenged and empowered to consider how they could work individually, and collectively, to stand up for human rights, for freedom and for justice.    

Parent Teacher Interviews

A friendly reminder to all that Parent Teacher Interviews are taking place on Wednesday, 12 September from 4.00pm to 7.30pm and also on Thursday, 20 September from 4.00pm to 7.30pm in the College gymnasium. Bookings for all year levels are now open on Siena Central and will close at 4.00pm on the day preceding the interviews.  We look forward to seeing you there.

Interim Reports

The 2018 Semester 2 Interim Reports are now available on Siena Central and you are welcome to bring them with you to your Parent Teacher Interview for discussion. 

Key Dates

Additional Key Dates for the Term can be found on the College website under News and Events.

Annual Music Concert

This year’s Annual Music Concert, Sisterhood, showcased our young women coming together to share their music with the school community. It was the first year where the concert was held at Eldon Hogan Performing Arts Centre, Xavier College. The music ensembles performed works that celebrate the work of female composers and performers who have lead the way for up and coming female musicians, as well as works inspired by the lives and stories of young women. The concert featured Junior Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Orchestra, Groove Train, Planet Groove, Sisters of Swing, Stage Band, Senior Strings, Junior Strings, Folkus, Guitar Ensemble, Senior Choir, Junior Choir, Canti Dolce and Year 12 Band. I would like to congratulate all students and staff in the Music department for a wonderful concert.

Victorian Schools Music Festival

Throughout the month of August, Wind Orchestra, Symphonic Band and Groove Train participated in the Victorian Schools Music Festival.  The three ensembles represented the school very well and were all awarded Silver Shields for their performances. I would like to congratulate all students and their directors for working hard and performing so well.

The Boy from Oz 

The Year 9 Music Performance class have been learning about musicals and performance skills. On the Wednesday, 22 August, the class went to see The Boy from Oz at the State Theatre in the city. For many of them, this was the first time they have attended a musical at the State Theatre. It was a fantastic experience for the students to learn about Peter Allen, an Australian iconic performer and the elements of a musical. 

Siena College has been performing extremely well this term in Soccer, with the Junior and Intermediate teams both close to securing finals. The Junior team has the only perfect record across all teams in each zone (all wins), which is a fantastic effort. There are a number of Volleyball teams doing very well, with all of the Junior 1 (A, B and C) teams likely to be in the finals. Siena’s Badminton players have also represented Siena College well across all levels. This week was the last week of ordinary GSV Term 3 competition, with finals next week. Siena College is poised to do very well across many levels and sports and we wish all the best to our participants!

Our Aerobics team continues to develop and represent Siena College very well. Recently they had a competition meet at Melbourne Girls’ College, with a number of Siena teams and participants gaining first, second and other high results. The group is now focusing on the major tournament, the National Aeroschools Competition on the Gold Coast, with nineteen Siena students poised to represent the College. Good luck, girls! 

While the Athletics season is almost over, it has been amazing period. We have participated in a number of GSV events, as well as the Siena College Athletics Carnival on Tuesday, 21 August . The team has been working hard over the past term, with weekly training sessions and GSV preliminary meets culminating in the GSV Athletics Division 3 Championships on Wednesday, 29 August. With a strong representative team, Siena College finished third overall. Our Juniors placed first, Intermediates fifth and our Seniors placed second. A fantastic effort!  After this strong performance, we have a number of students who will represent Siena at the GSV Finals Evening on Tuesday, 11 September at Lakeside Stadium.

Siena College also recently participated in the 2018 Victorian Interschools Snowsports Championships at Mount Buller.  Our students had a wonderful time competing in near perfect conditions.

On an individual note, Jordyn Kourmadias was a part of the 2017 Australian National Under 14s team, representing Asia Pacific in the Junior NBA World Championships in Orlando, Florida. Jordyn helped her team reach the grand final of the International Division, finishing runners up. A huge congratulations goes out to Jordyn on this amazing effort.     

Term 4 is coming up soon, with Siena College entering a number of Basketball, Cricket and Junior Water Polo teams. We look forward to another exciting GSV season. 

On Wednesday, 5 September, Siena again staged our annual competition for public speaking. The event is named in honour of a Dominican friar, Antonio de Montesinos, who lived five centuries ago. Appalled at the cruel enslavement of indigenous people in the place we now know as Haiti and the Dominican Republic, Antonio delivered a famous sermon in which he sharply criticised Spanish colonists and slave traders. Eventually, he managed to persuade King Ferdinand of Spain that slavery is wrong and consequently, the first ever documents designed to protect indigenous people came into being. Antonio de Montesinos changed the course of history by bravely speaking his truth.

This year, four students also showed bravery by participating in this challenging competition. They were Ella Frausing (Year 12), Jade Devlin (Year 11), Amanda Marasco (Year 9) and Micayla Victor (Year 7).  The girls spoke with conviction on their selected topics, which were required to show a connection to our College theme for 2018: 'One Body, Many Parts'. The students were also required to make an impromptu speech on a topic given to them just five minutes beforehand. 

At the conclusion of the competition, audience members commented very positively on the impressively high standard set by the speakers and the way in which each student approached their speeches. Certainly, the adjudicators had difficulty in reaching their decisions regarding to whom presentation of the trophy and encouragement award medal would be made. At the final tally, only a handful of points separated the four girls. 

After very careful deliberation by the adjudicators, Jade Devlin was announced as the winner of the 2018 Antonio de Montesinos Award. Amanda Marasco received the Encouragement Award. 

Jade will recite her winning speech at the next school assembly. It will also be reproduced in the 2018 Siena College Yearbook.

Public speaking is alive and well at Siena College!

On Tuesday, 28 August, Kingswood College hosted a Northern Star Chess Tournament for primary and secondary schools. Siena College attended the event with ten participants: Nicole Ahn, Renata Fanthome, Mia Fenton, Estelle Jones, Siena Justus, Zoe Kelly, Emily Ovens, Angelina Rodos, Jasmine Skutela and Micayla Victor. The girls were selected to attend based on their commitment to Siena’s own Chess Club, which meets every Wednesday at lunchtime in the Albertus Magnus Library. 

For five of the students, it was their very first Chess Tournament so they were very excited, if not a bit nervous, especially when a Year 7 student competed with a Year 12 student in the first round.

There were over one hundred students competing from a number of schools around Melbourne.  Each student played seven games of fifteen minutes against students from the other competing schools in a round robin tournament.  The games all began with a friendly handshake and a cheery 'good luck!', but after that it was down to the serious business of attempting to trounce your opponent on the chessboard!  

Congratulations to Zoe Kelly, Angelina Rodos and Jasmine Skutela who qualified for the Victorian State Secondary Girls final which will be held at St Catherine’s College, Toorak on the Tuesday, 16 October.

The next tournament will be on the Tuesday, 18 September in Castlemaine. 

On Thursday, 9 August, Siena College hosted students from Christian, Jewish and Muslim schools, keen to engage in interfaith dialogue, promoting mutual understanding, respect and ethical behaviour across religious diversities to encourage the development of competent global leaders of the 21^st century. Our Year 10 Building Bridges students presented this program with confidence and pride in their Dominican and faith traditions, showcasing the College and our Catholic identity.

If the visiting schools arrived early enough, we treated them to a tour of the College ahead of the main program of the night. Engaged and animated chatter filled the air as questions and answers brimming with pride reflected respectful yet probing dialogue. 

The first session began in our beautiful Convent courtyard with a warm welcome and explanation as to the purpose of, and history behind, our Tuscan styled cloisters. We visited the Prioress' cell and the Archives room before all eighty of us squeezed in to our stunning but tiny chapel. Again, our Year 10 students spoke with confidence about the significance of the altar, the Tabernacle and  the Stations of the Cross. St Catherine’s relic featured which created a range of interested responses from those from other traditions. 

Once settled in the Hall, our Year 10 students spoke with conviction to the Building Bridges cohort about that which is unique to Catholicism, our understanding of the Sacraments as key highlights/markers of our faith journey, the significance of Catholic Social Teaching and the beauty of the Dominican charism. We shared photos, and artefacts by way of the Baptismal candle, Christening robe, rosary beads and our new Catholic Social Teaching poster.

Our delicious halal/kosher dinner was enjoyed by all. Encounter and dialogue featured as we celebrated the company of our guests with this shared quintessential human experience. The evening concluded in small group discussions of mixed genders. This last session was pronounced, ‘way too short’ and ‘hugely successful’ by all participating. Our final Building Bridges evening will be held at Bialik College in a couple of weeks to which we look forward with great anticipation. 

‘I enjoyed hosting the Building Bridges night as it was fascinating to hear about the similarities and differences between schools from different beliefs and faith traditions. It’s interesting to ask people questions about their religions as this isn’t something that you often discuss. We have all met so many lovely people and it was nice to show them what our school is like and to talk to them about both religious and everyday things.’ Hannah Hine, Year 10

On Thursday, 16 August, Siena hosted Julie Arliss, an international presenter from the UK, Director and Founder of Academy Conferences, a former Cambridge CIE examiner, and a Fellow at Harris Manchester Oxford University, 2018. She presented to our Year 11 students for their third Eckhart seminar and challenged them to consider ‘The Philosophy of Sex’. 

Julie deconstructed modern attitudes to women as portrayed through the media and movies which can continue to uphold and reinforce values of gender inequality. Our students came to realise that many had accepted these ideas unquestioningly in film and text. Julie differentiated between ways of interpreting love as well as intimacy. She also explored the ideas of famous philosophers; Plato’s view of spiritual love, free of lust, with a focus on the adoration for one’s soul, rather than the physical self; as well as the beliefs of Aristotle, that all things, including relationships, can enable the potential in each partner through shared virtue. This love reflects our pursuit of happiness. Julie ultimately linked this with Christian love, emphasising that all love is formed in the image of God, and that, as his followers, we are called to love and cherish all of his divine creations.

Our key learning in Year 10 Religion and Society Unit 2 is centred on Ethics. We were privileged to secure Julie to present a Masterclass to our Year 10 cohort on Relativism. She approached this learning from two perspectives: Cognitive Relativism, which is subjective, and Cultural Relativism, which is social. Julie argued that with Relativism, there is no single moral standard that applies to all people and all places. She drew on art (Caravaggio’s painting, The Sacrifice of Isaac), and famous philosophers, from Nietzsche to Immanuel Kant, to highlight that, if morality is culturally defined, only those who are part of the culture can be part of the conversation. Julie was able to reinforce the way this attitude, in turn, has massive Justice implications if we are working to overcome slavery, prejudice and human rights issues across the world.

Such enrichment in the learning of Religion and Society at Year 10 and 11 should develop critical thinking, engagement with the big, existential questions of life and recognition of the importance of the inquiry process. Julie’s passion for a structured philosophical and ethical approach to learning and as a way to access deeper thinking is contagious and inspired so many of our students to want to explore Philosophy and Ethics further. 

This week’s Siena Career News features information on a webinar for Year 12s about to sit the CASPer Test.  The CASPer test is a compulsory requirement for entry into Education/Teaching at Tertiary Institutions nationally and students in Year 12 should have registered to sit the test in the next school holidays.  The webinar will talk students through what the test looks like (webcam is required) and what the possible questions will be like.

There is also an Extension Studies Evening at Monash University.  Extension Studies, also known as VCE Extension, are University level subject/units that a Year 12 student can pick up as part of their VCE program (usually available if they have completed a Unit 3 and 4 sequence in a similar subject area in Year 11).

Medicine is always a popular career choice and Bond University’s medical degree offers the shortest pathway to becoming a doctor: Four years and eight months.  See the latest Siena Career News for more details.  You will also find information on a new 'Pre-Medicine' university degree at the University of Woolongong.

Many Fine Arts and Design courses at Tertiary Institutions require a folio for entry. Deakin University is holding a Portfolio Information Evening for students applying for these courses and further details can be found in the Siena Career News.

Siena Career News

https://www.careertools.com.au/mailplag/download.php?id=12456

Father's Day Breakfast 

The Siena Parents' Association (SPA) hosted the annual Father's Day Breakfast on Friday, 31 August. The event was, yet again, a fantastic success with a full house of Siena students and their dads gathering in the College gym for a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs, muffins, fruit and yoghurt.  Our guest speaker for the morning was Siena staff member, Martin Gibbs who reflected on his own experiences as a dad. Thank you to Martin and all of our SPA volunteers for your help hosting this wonderful event. 

If you would like to view and/or purchase any of the professional photographs taken on the morning, visit www.makphotos.com.au, click 'View Your Photos' and enter password: scfd310818.

SPA Second Hand Uniform Shop 

Opening Hours, Term 3 2018
Wednesdays: 8.00am – 9.00am and 3.00pm – 4.00pm

Additional Opening Hours, 2018
Friday, 30 November: 8.00am – 9.00am and 3.00pm – 4.00pm
Saturday, 1 December: 9.00am – 12.00pm
Saturday, 8 December: 9.00am – 12.00pm

Opening Hours, 2019
Wednesday, 23 January: 9.00am – 12.00pm
Friday, 25 January: 9.00am – 12.00pm

We are always in need of help at the Uniform Shop! If you would like to volunteer your time, please call us on (03) 9835 0267 or email uniforms@siena.vic.edu.au

Siena Central Updates for Parents Coming Soon

As part of Siena College's ongoing website development, the homepage has recently been upgraded with a user friendly ‘Siena Central’ button, to allow you easy access to the College’s portal.  Click on the image below to access the College website.

Additional Siena Central tiles are also being developed for parents: ‘Finance’ and ‘Update Your Details’.  These tiles will allow parents to view fee statements, make online payments and update contact details, all within Siena Central.  Parents will be advised in the upcoming weeks when these functions are live and ready to use. 

The Class of 1978 and Class of 1988 were welcomed back to Siena College last Saturday, 1 September for their Decade Reunions.  We had over seventy alumnae return to the College and it was hard to imagine it had been thirty to forty years since these ladies had left!  There was much chatter and laughter as we celebrated the Siena sisterhood, with drinks and canapes at the College followed by dinner at Hellenic Republic in Kew.

Class of 1978 Forty Year Reunion

Class of 1988 Thirty Year Reunion

The Decade Reunions for the Class of 1998 and Class of 2008 will be held on Saturday, 15 September and the annual 1940s, 1950s and 1960s Reunion Brunch will be on Saturday, 20 October. Alumnae can book for their reunion at www.sienaconnect.com.au/reunions 

We also encourage alumnae to join our new onine networking platform, Siena Global Connect to stay connected (or reconnect) with your classmates and other Siena alumnae. 

We congratulate Cathy Carr on her appointment to the position of Executive Assistant to Principal, Gaynor Robson-Garth.  Cathy brings a wealth of experience, expertise and enthusiasm to the role and we wish her well.

We are pleased to welcome Casey Stone to the Mathematics department, Mark Baldasso to the role of Assistant Business Manager and Zhoutian Lin as our new Chinese Language assistant.

Casey Stone	Mark Baldasso

As we continue the enrolment process for students wishing to enter Siena College for Year 7 in 2020, we would like to remind any current families with daughters in Grade 5 to please ensure that you have submitted an enrolment form.  Enrolment forms and Prospectus packs are available from Reception or on the College website

In partnership with The Ark Clothing Co., we would like to extend an invitation to our community to attend our Fashion Show on Friday, 26 October at 7.00pm in the Susan Alberti Auditorium.

Siena alumna, Megan Sloley (Class of 1983) has joined The Ark Clothing Co. and her team have put together a Fashion Show that provides our guests with an opportunity to view The Ark’s new summer collection.  The clothing will be modelled by The Ark employees and the styles cater for all ages and body shapes.  Ticket price also includes canapés, drinks and a Personal Styling voucher valued at $25.

Click the image below to book your tickets

Siena dads are invited to join us for a great night of fun, complete with BBQ, wine tasting, virtual reality games, raffles and more! Click the image below to book: 

During Term 3, all online orders over $5 will receive an automatic entry to win an Amazon Alexa Echo Dot!

Three easy steps to online ordering at Siena College Canteen

1. Create an account 
Go to www.school24.net.au
Click on 'Create Account', fill in your details and submit 
Please note our School Registration ID: 25307963 
If you need help, call (02) 8901 0398

2. Before you can start ordering, log in to your secure portal 
Add students
Top up your account 

3. Placing an order 
Select a student
Enter/select the date
Click on 'Start Order' and select from Cold Menu, Hot Menu, Snack Menu

Orders can then be collected at lunchtime from the Priority Lunch Order Collection line.

We are very fortunate to have alumnae who not only donate photos, uniforms and memorabilia to our archives, but also recollections of their time at Siena. They bring depth and life to our official records.

Recently, Barbara Dowling, née Robertson (Class of 1962) described her time at Siena College. We were very excited to receive her reminiscences, especially the paragraph below which describes the sports uniform of her era. We would love to have this uniform, or even a colour photo of it, in our collection.

'Our sports tunics were made of butter yellow Cesarine, the same material as the pinafores and therefore almost indestructible.  They were of the same design as the winter tunics with three box pleats fore and aft.  We had to kneel down and the hem had to touch the ground. Travelling to school on tram or train they crushed badly unless you could arrange the pleats oh so carefully before sitting down otherwise they ballooned out at the back and looked terrible - so the best plan was to stand up all the way!'

The Mooring sisters, c1958: Dr Rose Marie Prosser (Class of 1961), Ann Leonard (Class of 1967) and Judith Netting (Class of 1960). Rose Marie and Judith are wearning the sports tunic. 

Maria Ang and Maureen McAuley
College Archivists

Siena KeepCups are an SRC initiaive. All funds raised from the purchase of KeepCups will go towards environmental sustainability causes. Click the image below to order. 

St Cecilia’s Parish Reunion

All are welcome to attend the St Cecilia's Parish Reunion in South Camberwell on Sunday, 14 October 2018. Mass will commence at 10.00am, followed by a gathering of friends in the Church Hall at 11.00am. This will be a wonderful opportunity to catch up with friends from the past.  RSVP at https://trybooking.com/XXWO

Migrant and Refugee Week

From Tuesday, 21 to Monday, 27 August the Catholic Church celebrates Migrant and Refugee Week with a particular focus on welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants and refugees. 

Often the stranger turns up unexpectedly: it’s normal on these occasions that we may feel anxious, mistrusting or fearful. It’s important that we daily invite God to be part of our encounter with the stranger and to pray that our community can overcome fear and suspicion towards asylum seekers. Whenever fear is present, it simultaneously provides an opportunity to be a powerful witness to our faith. People will know that we are followers of Jesus when we place the dignity of people seeking asylum before our own needs and fears.

Researchers from Monash University have found that successful refugee students find a way to use their experiences to help them learn, adapt and thrive in a new country. They worked with a group of primary school children to make this short film Ali and the Long Journey to Australia.

Year 12 

It’s hard to believe that we have commenced planning for the 2018 Graduation Eucharist.  Parents will receive formal invitations to all final proceedings.  Please note that this Eucharist will be held at St Dominic’s Church on Tuesday, 23 October, commencing at 7.30pm.  With September and the end of term on the horizon I also encourage Year 12 students to start contemplating all that they are grateful for as they conclude their Siena experience. They will participate in a special Final Liturgy on Thursday, 20 September in their Religious Education class across Periods 3 and 4.  This will focus both on gratitude and the 2018 College theme, 'One Body, Many Parts'.

Pope Francis in the News

This week in an impassioned letter addressed to ‘The People of God’, Pope Francis urges us all to stand in solidarity with victims of abuse. He says:
'With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives.'   Read the rest of his letter here.

Newly installed Archbishop of Melbourne, Peter Comensoli has responded with his own letter to the Faithful, saying:
'It falls to me, as your Archbishop, to ensure that our local Church in Melbourne is unequivocally committed to attending to the harm done, prioritising the dignity and care of all who are young and vulnerable, rebuilding trust among our people, and creating safe environments in our communities, agencies and organisations. This is the way of Jesus Christ. It must be my way. And I invite you to join with me in making it our common Gospel way.'  Read the full text here.

For a number of years now, Siena College has held the annual Antonio de Montesinos Public Speaking Award competition, which is open to all students to enter.  This an event that encourages girls to prepare and deliver a speech on a topic that they feel is important. Each year, the speech topics are linked to the College theme, which in 2018 is 'One Body, Many Parts'.

Born in the fifteenth century, Antonio de Montesinos was a Dominican friar who famously and bravely delivered a speech in December of 1511, decrying the exploitation by Spanish colonists of indigenous people in the well-established slave trade of the time. His speech eventually changed the course of history.

Siena College pays tribute to Montesinos’ bravery in speaking the Truth by naming this public speaking award after him.

This year, the Antonio de Montesinos Award will be held in the Susan Alberti Auditorium on Wednesday, 5 September at 7.00pm. The students who participate will speak to the audience on their chosen topic for a timed period of four to five minutes. After interval, they will also present an impromptu speech on a topic which will be presented to the participants on the evening. They will have a short time to prepare. 

An engraved trophy will be awarded for the best speech on the evening, as decided by our adjudicators. The runner up will receive an engraved, boxed medal.

If you would like to attend the Antonio de Montesinos Award, please click here to reserve the number or places you require.  Entry is free. A light supper will be served during the interval. Everyone is welcome!

The Albertus Magnus Library was abuzz this week with a celebration of Australian books, authors and illustrators. 

Internationally renowned performance poet Joel McKerrow was a special guest in the library on Wednesday, 22 August entertaining a lunch time audience of students and staff with a performance of his self penned poetry. In addition, two small groups of Year 7 students were treated to a performance poetry and writing workshop.

Young adult author, Simmone Howell, who is this year’s Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year winner for Take Three Girls spoke about her writing experiences with Year 7 to 12 students on Thursday, 23 August and select VCE English students were invited to part in a writing workshop with this award winning author. 

House spirit was alive and well at the annual House Book Week Library Trivia Challenge. Each House battled it out to answer twenty book related questions. The winning house was awarded the inaugural perpetual shield. Congratulations to all students and the daily winners of the Book Week Trivia question on Siena Central who each received a $30 Readings Gift Voucher.

The 2018 theme for National Science Week was ‘Game Changers, Change Makers’ and to celebrate, the Science Department scheduled a number of engaging lunchtime and class activities. We started the celebrations with the lunchtime screening of ‘Hidden Figures’ in the Hall. Students crunched on tasty popcorn while watching this film based on the true story of the women who worked at NASA during the Space Race in the 1960s. 

Students who entered the ‘Who Am I’ competition and were able to successfully name the four Australian Scientists (Professor Elizabeth Blackburn, Sir Howard Walter Florey, Professor Michelle Simmons and Professor Fiona Wood) and explain why they were each considered a ‘Game Changer’ were awarded an ice cream ticket. With these tickets, students were invited to sample the delicious ice cream made on the spot using liquid nitrogen. 

On Wednesday, 15 August, nine of our Year 10 students (Julia Cabai, Anna Litchen, Lucia Litchen, Teagan Matthews, Serena Potter, Olivia Redford, Emilia Sutherland, Zara Turner amd Bailey Webb) represented our college at the ‘Science Week at the Cathedral’ forum. Guest speakers included Felicity Furey, the new Engineer in Residence at the STEM Practice Academy at Swinburne University of Technology. Felicity is a consulting engineer and entrepreneur, and was recognised as one of the 100 most innovative engineers this year by Engineers Australia. She also cofounded the Power of Engineering, a social enterprise to engage students across the country to encourage them into STEM careers. Please see Anna and Lucia Litchen’s reflections below.

Just as Australia has a chief scientist, Dr Alan Finkel, Siena has our own STEM scientist, Madeleine Burchill. Madeleine Burchill is an engineer who works in the Aerospace Division – DSTO Australian Government Department of Defence Science and Technology.  Ms Burchill conducted workshops with our Year 9 and Senior students to help them learn more about STEM careers and the value of continuing with their Science and Mathematics studies. Ms Burchill discussed her learning journey and how it led to a STEM career as an Aerospace Engineer. Students also worked in teams and built Spaghetti Towers under a time limit.

During Thursday lunchtime, the nail biting Science Kahoot competition took place in the Susan Alberti Auditorium. Siena College’s very own Jade Devlin entertained the audience with her scientific banter while executing her Masters of Ceremony role. The week finished with great excitement as students entered the world of Virtual Reality and tried their skill at ‘Beat Saber’.  

I would like to thank Fay Mak, Theresa Azar, Sam Redman, Anthony George, Jennifer Levett and Dr Anthony Vadala, as well as all the Science Department for all their assistance and work behind the scenes in making all these events happen.

Assimina Semertjis
Head of Science

Student Reflections

'As part of National Science Week, a handful of Year 10 students were given the opportunity to listen to the experiences of the guest speakers involved in a range of scientific fields and ask questions concerning what new technologies and people influenced them. It was fascinating to learn from them and their discussion of the relationship between science and the society in creating game changing discoveries. Through my participation I was provided a greater insight to some of the many fields within science including biomedical engineering and cell research. I learnt how these areas of study can and have been applied to the modern world in order to benefit society. This day was enriched by the knowledge of these panelists and allowed me to develop a better understanding of the world of science and major breakthroughs within the field.'  Anna Litchen

'On 15 August, myself and a small group of Year 10s were given the exciting opportunity to attend Paul’s Cathedral in the city and listen to a panel of scientist who discussed the theme 'What is a Game Changer?' There was a diverse panel from biomedical engineers to philosophers, all of which who had contributed immensely to their field and creating these ‘game changers.’ We were able to interact with the panel by directly them asking questions about ethics in science, and it was enjoyable to hear how their experiences in science made their opinions differ. It was also interesting to learn how everything from government authority to religion can impact scientific developments.'  Lucia Litchen 

Year 7 Language Study

Students at Siena College have the opportunity to study Chinese, French and Italian. Before starting at Siena, students choose two languages to trial in Year 7, one in each semester. At the end of the year, students decide which of the two languages they would like to continue studying in Years 8 and 9. The current Year 7 students are in the process of making this decision. Below is a little of their experience of language study this year.  

'When I first began learning my first language, I was very excited, as I had done very little language study at my primary school so I was very excited for the opportunity to be able to speak two languages: French and Italian. It was not just the fact that I would be able to speak the language it was that I could communicate to others who spoke that language when I would go and visit their country or go to a restaurant where they spoke the language. None of my family speaks anything except English so this was a very new experience that I was ready for. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning two languages and have learnt so much, from learning how to count to having a full conversation in French and Italian.'  Evie Goodale

'During my first year at Siena College, I have enjoyed learning French and Chinese. I have learnt many different ways of saying hello, goodbye and thank you. During Semester 1, I learnt French.  I not only learnt how to speak the basics of the language but we also got the opportunity to learn about the culture and how French children learn at school. We had a few French exchange students come in and spoke to us about their life over in France and the explain differences between Australia and France. This semester, I am studying Chinese, which has been extremely fun. We have learnt about the Chinese dragon and how to move the puppet around to create the dragon dance. We also had a special guest, Dr Wang Zhengting from the University of Melbourne who came in and showed us all the different Chinese instruments and played different tunes on each of them. We had a special performance where we heard a famous Chinese tune. I have really enjoyed learning these two languages.'  Abbie Sullivan 

'Learning a language at secondary school is enjoyable. I have learned Chinese and Italian. In Chinese I learned how to greet people, how to order food and I learned the names of different countries. We did many fun tasks and were able to hold the Chinese dragon. I am now learning Italian. So far, we have learned the alphabet, how to greet people, how to say our address and how to give and follow classroom instructions. It has been a really enjoyable and great experience.'  Leah Backlien

A huge congratulations to the girls representing Siena College in Term 3, who are getting some fantastic results while showing fair play and sportsmanship.  Our Soccer teams are dominating their divisions: the Intermediate team sits second and the Juniors are ranked first. The Volleyball teams are also having strong results with the Intermediate Siena College Firsts team and Junior Firsts sitting second and first respectively. 

The next few weeks also sees the last few rounds of GSV Volleyball, Soccer and Badminton, with Siena College well placed to compete in multiple finals, as highlighted in the previous section. We wish the participants all the best! 

Over the past few weeks, Siena College’s Aerobics team has been training hard in preparation for the September Australian Aeroschools Competition on the Gold Coast, with another competition on Friday, 24 August at Melbourne Girls’ College.  We wish the girls the best of luck as they prepare for these events. The Siena College Athletics team has also been busy, training twice a week in preparation for the GSV Track and Field Championships on Wednesday, 29 August.  

The Siena College Athletics Carnival was held earlier this week at Tom Kelly Athletics Track. Despite the threat of rain, the weather held out and House spirit was in full force.  There were a number of standout individual perfomances, including Holly Nieuwenhuizen's (Year 8) win in the Michele Timms 100m race, with the eight fastest sprinters over the day battling it out.  Dianella was the overall winner of the day and Waratah received the House Spirit Award.

Year Level Champions: Johanna Zikas (Year 12), Jade Devlin (Year 11), Amy Fisher (Year 10), Victoria Zikas (Year 9), Jemma Rigoni (Year 8), Abbey Vicino (Year 7)

Michele Timms Race: Emily Hodder, Year 11 (Second place: 13.827 seconds), Holly Nieuwenhuizen, Year 8 (First place: 13.542 seconds), Ella Gurry, Year 10 (Third Place: 13.885 seconds)

A huge congratulations to Jaimie Guan, who placed fourth in the 2018 Australian Karate Federation Nationals Competition in Caloundra, Queensland, competing in four rounds of the competition. Well done, Jaimie on this outstanding result!

This week’s Siena Career News is packed full of information that will assist students make some of those important decisions about subjects and tertiary courses to pursue.  There is information on Fine Arts and Music courses, an Information evening for any Year 11 considering a university study as part of their VCE, Teaching Course Information sessions at Deakin University, a folio Information session for students applying for courses that use this as a key requirement for entry and news regarding a special Student Experience Day at the Monash Art, Design and Architecture Faculty.

On 15 August, Siena College hosted the second Junior Gifted and Talented Day for 2018. Over 70 students from Avila, PLC and Scotch College joined an enthusiastic group of Siena girls to participate in the Junior Stretch and Challenge Day. The conference was an intensive one day program of short lectures for Year 8 and 9 students, presented by Julie Arliss, Farmington Fellow at Oxford University and founder of Academy Conferences. The program seeks to identify and challenge the students' preconceived ideas and encourage them to think creatively about their world. It aims to provide students with an opportunity to interact with other like minded students as they explore a range of interesting and thought provoking ideas about relevant modern day issues.

In the first session of the day, Julie presented a lecture entitled 'Justice, Truth, Beauty and Mathematics'. The session explored the difficulty of achieving agreement about 'what is justice?' and 'what is the point of punishment?' She used contemporary examples to demonstrate the complexity of the related philosophical issues and the impact on other areas of human knowledge, such as beauty, mathematics and art.

The second session was an interactive discussion based on a community of enquiry approach. The students formed small, mixed groups and were given a set of tasks designed to stimulate discussion based on the question, 'Do animals feel pain and is it OK to kill them?'  Each team worked to reach consensus on a set of ideas, then elected a spokesperson to present their ideas at the end of the session.

After lunch, Julie presented a lecture entitled 'Science: What comes First, Observation or Inspiration?' which examined the underlying ideas that frame science. The students were inspired to think how they, as the next generation of inventors, will use science to solve current and future challenges. 

he final session was a debate based on the contention “That it is never right to kill a person”. The debate gave students an awareness of the inconsistencies of our laws, which prohibit killing, yet condone killing in war. The debate also addressed the many issues surrounding capital punishment. This session gave the students an opportunity to apply quite a different set of analytical and evaluative skills, as they debated the topic. The session concluded with an invitation for students to contribute their opinions on the topic and ended with a vote on the issue.

Student Reflections

“The day was exciting and rife with new information. We learnt and considered a broad range of topics outside the spectrum of our everyday life and asked some big questions that will keep me thinking long after the day is over.”
Juliet Guthrie

“Today’s presentation inspired me to think deeply into topics about morals, ethics, and truth and consider all perspectives of a topic. This way of thinking is a new technique I could apply to all subjects in school, not only science and religion.”
Claudia Wilhelm

“I learnt about the criminal justice system and how scientists came up with the Big Bang Theory.”
Georgia Wells

“The discussions helped me to think wider than just what we learn at school and taught me a lot about working with new people and talking about topics that don’t have an expected or certain answer.”
Aisha Bowker

“I liked the guest speaker as she orchestrated her information down to our level of understanding.”
Charlotte Rieniets

On Wednesday 26 July, Siena College hosted an Enrichment day for Year 9 students from the Boroondara Cluster. Students from Scotch College, Genazzano, Strathcona, and Camberwell Girls Grammar joined five Year 9 students from Siena to participate in the following areas: Philosophy, Psychology and Debating.

The first session was facilitated by Mrs Bronwyn Ilott, exploring questions such as 'What is the difference between right and wrong?', 'How do I know what I believe is true?', and 'What makes us valuable?' These questions were examined through philosophical discussion and focus activities. Through individual thinking and group activities, students explored the difference between assumptions and inferences, establishing the importance of individuals having their own set of values and attitudes. Students were given stimulus material on a Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate, Elie Wiesel, who gave an impassioned speech about the perils of indifference which reflects Desmond Tutu’s words, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor”.

The second session, led by Mrs Libby Moore, explored psychology and the concepts of conformity and individuality. Using The Asch Experiment and the Zimbardo Stanford Prison Experiment as Case Studies, Mrs Moore explored the idea of conformity and examined the impact that social forces may have on the behaviour of individuals. Students were challenged to consider the relevance of these studies to not only their behaviour as individuals, but also to our contemporary society. The human need for connections through many social groups over a lifespan, was also discussed.

Ms Becky Scott facilitated the debating session, discussing the statement that individuals can have a larger impact than groups of people. Students unpacked the three elements of a debate: matter, method and manner before forming an affirmative and negative side to tackle this contention. 

Students’ reflection:

Although we were all nervous about beginning the Enrichment Day, we all found it a great opportunity to work collaboratively in higher order intellectual thinking in regards to what it means to be an individual. We thoroughly enjoyed the sessions that were run during the day.
Andrea Paramboukis, Maddie Mitra, Lauren Lane, Fiona Rassias, and Sophie Gurney.

SPA Uniform Shop Opening Hours 2018

Wednesdays 8.00am - 9.00am and 3.00pm - 4.00pm

Additional opening times for remainder of 2018

Friday 30 November: 8.00am – 11:00am and 2.00pm – 4.00 pm
Saturday 1 December: 9.00am – 12.00pm
Saturday 8 December: 9.00am – 12.00pm

Additional days 2019

Wednesday 23 January 9.00am – 12.00pm
Friday 25 January 9.00am – 12.00pm

*Please note current  Year 12 students require their School Uniform and blazer for the academic awards on Tuesday, 11 December.  After the Academic Awards parents/students can drop their uniforms (dry cleaned) with the relevant paper work to the uniform shop.
For enquiries please contact the Uniform Shop on uniforms@siena.vic.edu.au or 03 9835 0267

Snow in Camberwell! Who would believe that?

We have proof in a photo taken of Siena in 1951. It is an iconic image for us. The dictionary definition of iconic is 'an image that brings to mind an event or location, often with emotional impact, for people in a given time, place or culture.'

Many of our iconic images are, of course, of our students and they are especially dear to us. There are also photos of buildings that we recognise as significant in our history and which, for the students and staff of that era, and for us now, have a strong emotional impact. 

The 1958 photo is particularly special. Siena is nestled within, and seemingly protected from the outside world by pine trees. Two girls are playing tennis and other students and staff are relaxing in the background. Why is the red van at the entrance to the school? Perhaps it is delivering furniture or groceries. Whatever the case, it helps illustrate that Siena was and is, not only a physical landmark but also relevant to and wholly engaged in our in Camberwell community.

In the years to come, what will future generations of our Siena community consider to be their iconic images?

Maria Ang and Maureen McAuley
College Archivists

During Term 3, all online orders over $5 will receive an automatic entry to win an Amazon Alexa Echo Dot!

Three easy steps to online ordering at Siena College Canteen

1. Create an account 
Go to http://www.school24.net.au
Click on 'Create Account', fill in your details and submit 
Please note your School Registration ID: 25307963 
If you need help, call 02 8901 0398

2. Before you can start ordering, log in to your secure portal: 
Add students 
Top-up your account 

3. Placing an order 
Select a student 
Enter or select the date
Click on 'Start Order' and select from Cold Menu, Hot Menu, Snack Menu

Orders can then be collected at lunchtime from the Priority Lunch Order Collection line.

As we continue the enrolment process for students wishing to enter Siena College for Year 7 in 2020, we would like to remind any current families with daughters in Grade 5 to please ensure that you have submitted an enrolment form.  Enrolment Forms and Prospectus packs are available from Reception or via our website.

Tracey Lawson
Head of Admissions

St Cecilia’s Parish Reunion

All are welcome to attend the St Cecilia's Parish Reunion in South Camberwell on Sunday, 14 October 2018. Mass will commence at 10.00am, followed by a gathering of friends in the Church Hall at 11.00am. This will be a wonderful opportunity to catch up with friends from the past.

Canterbury Girls' Cricket

Feast of St Dominic

This week we celebrated the Feast of St Dominic with a whole school eucharist at St Dominic’s church. In his homily, our College Chaplain Fr Kevin Toomey OP reminded us that:

“Dominic and his friars went back to study and loved the word of God in the scriptures; from there they were able to present a renewed idea of what Jesus and Christianity were really all about. Dominic took all the Gospel to heart, but especially the reading we have for today. He was salt to the earth and a light to the world during his short but eventful life…”

Fr Kevin then went on to add:

“I hope today you will take some time to think ‘What is it that I am learning at Siena that I’ll take forward into my future life: is it the beauty of Jesus, or the goodness of each human being and their dignity; or how to reach out to the poor? Or some other value that I cherish?’ Whatever it is, may each one of you think of yourselves at salt and light to our needy world; as you do this you will be living out your school motto, VERITAS – truth.”

Plenary Council 2020

Exciting news - the Catholic Church is providing Australians with the opportunity to define the future of the Church in Australia with the Plenary Council 2020.  While the Plenary Council is, in part, a response to the Royal Commission it also provides the Catholic community with the opportunity to play a role in the consultation process as the Church embarks on a restart and a refresh by asking the question: what is God asking of the Church Australia?

It’s an opportunity for the Catholic community in Australia to affect real and much-needed change in our Church.

The consultation process began recently in Canberra where four open dialogue sessions were held. These sessions were aimed at engaging with disenfranchised Catholics who have left the Church in the wake of the Royal Commission. The sessions were held away from any Church-owned property to create an air of neutrality and an environment where each person could speak freely.

The dialogue sessions are the first step in a three-stage process: dialogue, discernment and legislation.

The process will culminate in a meeting involving all the bishops in Australia in Adelaide to be held in March of 2021. The goal of will be to distil the proposals resulting from the Plenary Council 2020 and transform them into points of action which will determine the future of the Catholic Church.

Find out more by watching Welcome to the Plenary Council

Early in Term 3, Siena College proudly hosted the first of two Junior Gifted and Talented Days for 2018. Over 140 students from the local schools joined an enthusiastic group of Siena girls to participate in the Junior Stretch and Challenge Day. The conference was an intensive one day program of short lectures for Year 7, 8 and 9 students, presented by Julie Arliss, Farmington Fellow at Oxford University and founder of Academy Conferences. The program seeks to identify and challenge the students' preconceived ideas and encourage them to think creatively about their world. It aims to provide students with an opportunity to interact with other like-minded students as they explore a range of interesting and thought provoking ideas about relevant modern day issues.

In the first session of the day, Julie presented a lecture entitled ‘Justice, Truth, Beauty and Mathematics’. The session explored the difficulty of achieving agreement about ‘what is justice?’ and ‘what is the point of punishment’? She used contemporary examples to demonstrate the complexity of the related philosophical issues and the impact on other areas of human knowledge, such as beauty, mathematics and art.

The second session was an interactive discussion based on a community of enquiry approach. The students formed small, mixed groups and were given a set of tasks designed to stimulate discussion based on the question, ‘Do animals feel pain and is it OK to kill them?’ Each team worked to reach consensus on a set of ideas, then elected a spokesperson to present their ideas at the end of the session.

After lunch, Julie introduced her colleague Dr Andrew Pinsent, resident Physicist, Philosopher and Theologian from Oxford University. He presented a lecture entitled, ‘Science: What comes First, Observation or Inspiration?’ which examined the underlying ideas that frame science. The students were inspired to think how they, as the next generation of inventors, will use science to solve current and future challenges.

The final session was a debate based on the contention ‘That it is never right to kill a person’. The debate gave students an awareness of the inconsistencies of our laws, which prohibit killing, yet condone killing in war. The debate also addressed the many issues surrounding capital punishment. This session gave the students an opportunity to apply quite a different set of analytical and evaluative skills, as they listened to the debate between Julia and Dr Pinsent. The session concluded with an invitation for students to contribute their opinions on the topic and ended with a vote on the issue.

The first of the 2018 Gifted and Talented Days provided students with an engaging and enriching experience as they were encouraged to broaden their understanding of the world. Julie Arliss and Dr. Pinsent presented a series of well-researched lectures designed to complement and enrich school-based gifted programs as well as extending and deepening gifted students' understanding of traditional school subject matter. 

Ms Heather O’Keefe and Mrs Ansalie Hanrahan

Student reflections:

I thought the Gifted and Talented Day was a really great experience that helped me delve deeper into topics that I don’t usually consider. I enjoyed collaborating with different schools as there were a lot of different opinions to be shared.
- Bridie Warren, 8B

On Tuesday, I participated in the Junior Stretch and Challenge Day. Something new I learnt from listening to our guest speaker Julie, was how justice, truth, beauty and maths are all connected in a way I’d never considered or thought of before. This session got me thinking about what justice is, and whether it is something mankind has constructed, or not. I really liked hearing other students’ views on the subject of ‘Do animals feel pain and have a right not to be eaten?’ as they challenged my opinions. Meeting new people and discussing various questions with them has helped my confidence, and I will be able to use this in my classes at school. The day gave me a new understanding of many topics, and challenged me to think and work with completely unfamiliar people.
-Giulia D’Angelo

Throughout the conference, I learnt about how justice, maths and beauty are all linked together and to think beyond the simple things in life to ask questions about why and how all these topics and ideas can be grouped together. I enjoyed listening to the students from other schools’ ideas; they were insightful, and everyone had a different opinion. Listening to each other also inspired me to think from different perspectives and broaden my thinking. Julie Arliss led a passionate debate amongst the students, and Fr Andrew Pinsent gave us an insight into the science of everything possibly imaginable and linked it with religion and theology. I can apply the knowledge I gained from this experience in analytical reports, essays, and conversations I have with my peers. This engaging experience was collaborative, inspiring, and challenging. I would thoroughly enjoy it if this experience was to be available again.
-Ella Graham 8D

After qualifying through an online quiz, we were invited to attend a fantastic day at the Florey Centre for Neuroscience, at Melbourne University.  Gabrielle Mannix, Matilda Baker, Emily Abrahams, Natasha Walsh, and Lucy Salvati enjoyed talks from guest speakers, neuroscience quizzes, an amazing tour of the working labs (seeing research into neural growth), and a tour of the Dax Gallery of mental health artworks. 

We have been very fortunate here at Siena to have three authors visit over the past couple of months to work closely with the budding writers amongst our cohort. Students have had the opportunity to hear these published authors speak and to take part in writing workshops.

Our first visit was from young adult crime writer Ellie Marney. Ellie chatted to students in the Library at lunch and then worked with a group of Year 8 students in a writing workshop. Ellie will be back again later in the year to work with the Year 9 English classes on their Crime Writing unit.

Melbourne-based writer Gabrielle Williams also visited Siena College to work with Year 10 students. Gabrielle writes humorous young adult fiction and spoke to students about how she became a writer. As with Ellie, Gabrielle worked with a small group of Year 10 students on a character writing workshop. The students involved enjoyed coming up with creative, entertaining and, most importantly, flawed, characters.

Most recently, Robert Newton, author of the novel 'Runner', spoke to Year 8 students about what inspired him to become a writer and how he juggles writing with his other job as a firefighter. The Year 8s who are currently studying 'Runner' found Robert’s presentation engaging and informative, they had the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the importance of the novel as a piece of historical fiction.

Although our visiting authors came to writing in different ways, the common factor in their success was their passion for writing and willingness to persevere with a story, redraft and take on feedback. These events are invaluable for our English students to learn from experienced, published writers and we thank Ellie, Gabrielle and Robert for sharing their wisdom.

Students who would like to be involved in future writing workshops should speak to their English teacher or contact Miss Joyce.

Music Camp 2018

On 4 August, students from Junior Band, Junior Choir, Junior Strings, Symphonic Band, Senior Strings and Groove Train all made their way to Rutherford Park Camp in Blampied for the Annual Music Camp. Students enjoyed learning new pieces, developing their ensemble and musicianship skills and spending time with new and old friends. We all had fun with Mr Ferris’ Trivia Night as well as the Movie Night and a few card games. The camp concert was a wonderful celebration of what was achieved on camp. We look forward to sharing our music with families at the upcoming Annual Concert.  Thank you to all staff who assisted; without your talent and support music camp wouldn’t be possible.

Student reflection

“My favourite thing about Music Camp…. Playing music with friends, making new friends, learning new music, learning heaps from the sectionals, having fun at the trivia night, playing in the super band, the food, hanging out with friends, playing clarinet……….”

Music Key Dates Term 3

Music Dates Term 3 (377 KB)   
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On Monday, 23 July and Wednesday, 25 July our very excited cohort of Year 8 students headed to Lower Plenty to enjoy a day of reflection in the beautiful surrounds and gardens of Amberley.  Our day was led by the GPBS team, (Gather Proclaim Break Send), and filled with music, song, dance, and deep personal reflection.

Our first session, Gathering, was focused on the Cross and the intentions we hold deep in our hearts. Lighting a candle reminds us that we are a people of hope, that we are not alone on the journey, and that we embrace Jesus’ message of God’s love for all. Our next session, Together, challenged us to embrace the power of the team. We are strong when we live our lives in partnership; we are made for community and become more whole when we share our lives with others.

Women who Inspire, our third session, focused on the role-models in our world. ‘Who inspires me and why?’ created powerful discussion. We also conversed about the challenges we all face in the ways social media is used. We worked in groups to discern ways we could illicit the most beneficial and affirming impact of the legacy of impressive women and use of technology. We critically considered how we use Social Media ourselves as a positive influence.

After lunch, our day concluded with a Eucharist, celebrated by our Chaplain, Fr Kevin Toomey OP. We prayed with music, story and by remembering the needs of our world. The beautiful live music created by Alyssa and Dan enriched and supported our Day of Reflection.

Student reflections

‘On 23 July 2018, some of the year 8 students went to Amberley for a Reflection Day. Throughout the day we reflected upon how we can make the world a better place through music, film and prayer. We learned about inspiring women and men and how inspiring people have changed the world for the better like Malala, Bethany Hamilton and Rick and Dick Hoytz. All of the stories we heard were very heartwarming and made us aspire to become inspiring. At the end of the day we shared Eucharist and Liturgy with Father Kevin, students, teachers and the staff from Amberley. Overall it was a great day!’
Ashling O’Farrell

‘On 23 July we went to Amberley for our second Siena Day of Reflection, as part of the Religious Education and Faith Development program.  Before we left, we felt excited about what we would be doing and what it would be like.  During the first session on Together, we were inspired by a video we watched about a father and son who ran marathons, rode and swam together, even though the son couldn’t walk or talk. From this video, we learnt about teamwork and standing together.  During the second session on Women who Inspire, we were thinking about how these women make a big difference in the world and what we can do to be like them in the future.  Our final activity was to have a Mass, celebrated by Fr Kevin Toomey OP, a Dominican and our school Chaplain. This was a lovely end to a day of growth and inspiration.’
Sarah White, Sasha Sahely and Lucy O’Connell

‘On 23 July we went to Amberley for our second Siena Day of Reflection.  Upon arrival, Amberley was very warm and inviting. We were excited to see instruments and a beautiful cross. During the first session on Together, we were thinking about how we can do so much more if we give each other a hand and how being together sounds so much more fun than doing things alone.  During the second session on Women who Inspire, we were thinking about all the inspirational girls out there and how we can be one ourself. Our group specifically focused on Bethany Hamilton, a brave woman who continued surfing despite the fact that she was involved in a shark attack, losing her arm. A Day of Reflection is a day for contemplation, thinking deeply and reflecting about how I am going in my life.’
Lucinda Burgin Uhlherr and Aurelia Tjitji

On Wednesday, 23 July, we visited Amberley for a day of reflection.  When we arrived we were warmly welcomed by the Gather, Praise, Break, Sing (GPBS) ministry group. Our first session was on Together, emphasising the idea of how more can be achieved by working collaboratively. We watched a short video clip on two men who enforced the spirit of working together!  Rick, due to a complication at birth, wasn’t able to talk or walk. With the advanced technology of today, he was able to communicate to his father, Dick, that he wanted to run in marathons. Together, they ran. Dick was the body and Rick was the heart and spirit. This made me think about the bigger impact that ‘together’ can make. The next session was focused on the women in our world who inspire. I was thinking about the hard work and determination that they exert in order to accomplish their goals. Finally, we had a mass celebrated by Fr Kevin Toomey OP, who is our school Chaplain. This was a great time to value being in the present and to reflect on who we are and what impact we strive to make on the world. The experience at Amberley made me think about the small things we can all do to make a difference. Overall, the Day of Reflection was a day to contemplate and reflect on how I am going in my life. I learnt many things, one of which being that ‘together’ is powerful and that you only need a passion for empowerment to inspire others. 

Milly Whitehead 

On Wednesday, 25 July, the following Year 10 and 11 students attended the Philosothon and Ethics Olympiad at Scotch College: Matilda Baker, Lily Dickenson, Adrienne Duray, Sophie Gurney, Angelina Haj, Gabrielle Mannix, Madeleine Mitra, Sasha Pittorino, Velentina Boulter, Jade Devlin, Claire Garwoli, Yasmin Howard, Rebecca Hwang, Teresa Meese, Ashley Moran, Claire Sullivan, and Olivia Wilhelm.  They were accompanied by Ms O’Keefe and Ms De Luise.

A Philosothon is concerned with big questions at the edge of science and reason and explores philosophical and ethical issues orally. Schools that attended included Camberwell Girls, MacRobertson Girls High, McKinnon Secondary, MLC, Albert Park, Aquinas, Scotch and Siena College.  A community of inquiry aims to encourage learners to think critically, collaborately, caringly, and creatively. To do this, the students were divided into groups of ten, presented with a stimulus or philosophical discussion topic, which developed into a framework for dialogue after they had thought about their own philosophical question.

After lunch, the students were divided into groups of ten (two teams) to undertake an Ethics Olympiad. They were each given a case study and five minutes to prepare their presentation with each team responding alternatively. A judge independently scored each team.

Overall, the day offered a unique opportunity for academically gifted students to be inspired to undertake philosophical and ethical inquiry. They were provided with many opportunities to further improve their critical thinking and to think systematically and rigorously about contemporary issues.  They are now looking forward to the opportunity to participate in an Ethics Olympiad with students from around Australia and later on, around the globe through Skype.

Student Reflections:

The Philosothon and Ethics Olympiad was an engaging experience that made me think about ethics and the importance of an ethical principle. We learnt about different ethical philosophies and the difference between them. I really enjoyed the Ethics Olympiad at the end of the day where we were able to debate about different topics with members of different schools.
Sophie Gurney

Coming out of the excursion, we felt very inspired and we are looking forward to being able to participate in our own ethics Olympiad. The day consisted of a morning where we participated in a community of inquiry and learnt how to effectively discuss and give reason to our opinions. In the afternoon we delved deeper into ethics and even ran our own ethics Olympiad together with another school. Overall the day enriched our learning and the skills we have to reason with which we can use throughout our schooling.
Yasmin Howard and Velentina Boulter (Year 11 Philosophy students)

 It was interesting to discuss different ethical and moral dilemmas with students from other schools in a different environment.  It was also beneficial to understand how an ethics Olympiad works and how it is similar and different to what we’ve experienced in class discussions and in debates. The content included and the resource pack we received were also very extensive.
Olivia Wilhelm (Year 11 Philosophy)

Friday, 27 July was National Tree Planting Day. 8B Geography class decided that we would like to plant some trees around the school to celebrate. At first, Mrs Moore thought that we could dig the holes for the trees ourselves, until she later found out that there was actually a tennis court underneath where we would be digging! Therefore, Mrs Moore decided to request some help!

On the morning of the tree planting, our class split off into two groups: one group planted an olive tree next to the chicken coop and the other group planted two lemon trees in the Mezei House garden. I was in the group planting the lemon trees. The lemon trees weighed around 70kg, so we had to get some help to roll them into the holes! Once they were securely in, we were handed shovels and had the task of laying the soil that had been dug up, back on and around the newly planted lemon trees.

The lemon trees were in fact already 10 years old and had a couple of lemons sprouting on some branches. We were told that if the trees were planted correctly, were surrounded with enough soil, and earth that they would grow to live a strong healthy life.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable morning and I would definitely like to do something like this again!
Macey Brick, 8B

Siena College has had a busy but positive start to Term 3 GSV Sport, competing in soccer, volleyball and badminton. With a strong group of soccer players, as shown by Siena College’s successful 5-a-side GSV Tournament in July, we have commenced with a winning start at Intermediate and Junior levels. Siena College has also made a successful start to the term in volleyball, winning a number of games and showing a strong, competitive spirit. While we have been less fortunate in badminton, the girls continue to work hard and represent the College well. 

In addition to GSV Sport, we have a number of major sporting events fast approaching this term, namely, the Interhouse Athletics Carnival, the Interschool Snowsports and the Aeroschools Nationals in the Gold Coast. We will also be competing at the GSV Championship Athletics Carnival at Lakeside Athletics Track. If you would like further information regarding these events, please refer to the  Siena Central Sports Page

It has been incredibly busy in the Career’s Office recently with Year 9 and 10 students seeking help with choosing subjects and researching careers, as well as Year 12 students applying for tertiary courses through VTAC and seeking assistance with SEAS (special consideration) and scholarship applications.  We are extremely fortunate that we have a representative from VTAC visiting Siena College on Monday 20th August at 6.30pm  to take Year 12 students and their parents through the application process.  Students from Year 11 and their parents are welcome, but bear in mind there may be some minor changes in 2019 when they will be applying.

In this week’s Siena Career News you will find information on Important dates for Year 12s applying for tertiary courses both here in Victoria and interstate, also information on the CASPer test required for entry into teaching courses, a list of free TAFE courses as well as details on the new Guaranteed Entry into the University of Melbourne Graduate programs.

Occasionally an archivist comes across a simple sentence and on reflection realises it is much more than that. The last comments in Miss Bakhap’s letter of December 1940 read: It was just a Speech Night perhaps; but, a Speech Night with a difference! – A cameo in my memory.' The program for that first speech night and Miss Bakhap’s congratulatory letter highlight how Siena’s curriculum and cultural activities have evolved over the intervening seventy to eighty years.

Art of Speech was included in the advertisement for Siena Convent in 1942 and our records show that a number of our students sat for Elocution and Art of Speech Examinations with The London Trinity College of Music until the late 1950s. We have treasured donations of exam cards, results, certificates and medals. Photos show the joy and pride of our students who achieved great results in this area of their studies.

We are very grateful to our Siena alumnae who, by their donations, have helped shape our understanding of life at Siena in the early days.

Maria Ang and Maureen McAuley
College Archivists

Photo captions: First Speech Night Program, Convent with ad for first day, 1950 Verse Speaking Choir,1951 mark and comments, 1940 First Speech Night, 1949 Art of Speech medallists

* Reminder SPA Meeting on 14 August,  Tuesday 7.30pm in the Staff Room all welcome

Siena College Second hand Uniform Shop

We are looking for volunteers to assist in running the second hand Uniform shop in 2019 .
The uniform shop is open as follows:

• Wednesdays 8.00am - 9.00am and 3.00pm - 4.00pm

If you are interested in assisting as a volunteer please contact uniforms@siena.vic.edu.au or 9835 0267

Please note parents wishing to sell uniform items should drop your consignment to the uniform shop during their opening times.

As we continue the enrolment process for students wishing to enter Siena College for Year 7 in 2020, we would like to remind any current families with daughters in Grade 5 to please ensure that you have submitted an enrolment form.  Enrolment Forms and Prospectus packs are available from Reception or via our website.

Tracey Lawson
Head of Admissions

During Term 3, all online orders over $5 will receive an automatic entry to win an Amazon Alexa Echo Dot!

Three easy steps to online ordering at Siena College Canteen

1. Create an account 
Go to http://www.school24.net.au
Click on 'Create Account', fill in your details and submit 
Please note your School Registration ID: 25307963 
If you need help, call 02 8901 0398

2. Before you can start ordering, log in to your secure portal: 
Add students 
Top-up your account 

3. Placing an order 
Select a student 
Enter or select the date
Click on 'Start Order' and select from Cold Menu, Hot Menu, Snack Menu

Orders can then be collected at lunchtime from the Priority Lunch Order Collection line.

Semester 1 Reports 2018

We would love to hear some feedback from parents regarding our two new reporting initiatives. Firstly the online feedback via Siena Central and secondly, accessing the online Semester Report (a statement of results). 

Subject Selection Process

The subject selection process has commenced which can be both exciting and yet daunting for some students.  We have a very comprehensive process to support students and parents in their decision making. Heads of Learning have addressed Year 9 and 10 students, providing a snapshot of the subjects available and the pathway that subjects may offer.  A similar presentation will be held on Thursday, 2 August for Year 8 students.  Year 9 and 10 students and their parents are invited to the Senior Pathways Evening on Thursday, 2 August, where they will have the opportunity  to attend a formal information session providing an overview of Year 10 and VCE/VET course requirements. Parents and students will also be able to seek individual subject advice from the Heads of Learning and VCE teachers.  To finalise the process, all Year 9 and 10 students will attend individual subject selection interviews with a senior staff member.  Parents are invited to attend this interview if they wish. 

Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP is a Dominican friar of the English Province and former Master of the Order of Preachers from 1992 to 2001. He is Patron of the International Young Leaders Network and helped launch Las Casas Institute, dealing with issues of ethics, governance and social justice. 

At our Staff Faith Day at the beginning of term we welcomed Fr Timothy to our College, as well as staff from Presentation College, Windsor and Our Lady of Sion College, Box Hill.  Our guest speaker presented two keynotes:

Can we all feel at home in the Church? 

‘Pope Francis has called upon the Church to welcome everyone, whoever they are and whatever they have done. Some people have not felt welcome – how can we open the doors of hospitality to everyone? How did Jesus combine both the invitation to perfection and the unconditional welcome to all?  I suggest that the answer lies in the nature of his friendship – indeed of every true friendship, which offers both complete acceptance and the invitation to grow.’ 

Revelation: Conversations with God 

‘How can the Word of God come alive and ‘make our hearts burn within us’ as the disciples who met Jesus on the road to Emmaus said? Reading the scriptures is not trying to decipher mysterious messages from God, as if from outer space. We are caught up in a conversation with God that leads us ever deeper into the mystery of love. Through the centuries, we are led into more profound insight into who we are and to what we are called – even the worldwide web is helping us to understand some aspects of Scripture more deeply.’ 

After this input we met in small groups to reflect using our ‘R’ wordle and form questions for the afternoon’s panel plenary session.

Fr Timothy says 'the biggest challenge of our time is to recover hope'.  Read more about this in an interview with him here.

It was a wonderful privilege to attend Mass at St Francis Church with three of our FIRE Carriers on Sunday, 8 July to officially launch NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week and to acknowledge the work of Vicki Clarke.  The theme for the 2018 NAIDOC week was 'Because of her, we can', a theme which brought honour to the work of all women in Aboriginal and Islander communities, but most especially on this occasion, to recognise the work of Vicki.  As a member of Aboriginal Catholic Ministry, Vicki was acknowledged as being a 'true, gentle warrior who has fought for her community with unwavering passion and commitment'.  Amongst Vicki’s many achievements, she was acknowledged for her vision in creating the FIRE Carrier Program (Friends Igniting Reconciliation in Education), of which Siena is very proud to be a part.  The congregation was uplifted and greatly inspired by the example Vicki has set for us all as we journey together towards Reconciliation.

Last week saw five Year 11 students, Ruby Housakos, Thaisha O’Neill, Sienna Ectoros, Olivia Piccoli and Natalie Decarne partake in the Siena Design Experience offered by Amanda from Williams Ross Architects. This experience allowed the students an insight into this industry as they spent a full day with Amanda Meiklejohn in Fitzroy at the firm and listened to the various professional women with roles within the firm talk about their career journeys. The students then formed two design teams and worked with Amanda for the rest of the week back at Siena to redesign an area of Siena College that is presently being earmarked for redevelopment. The teams acted as clients for each other and developed a brief for each to work too.

Throughout the week, the girls developed skills in working to a brief, developing concepts and creating plans. Under the guidance of Amanda and Michelle Dammous (also an architect from Williams Ross), they learnt the importance of site visits, existing infrastructure, design plans and working collaboratively. On Friday, the girls presented the 'pitch' of their designs to each other and the school community, including members of the College Board, parents and special guests from Williams Ross Architects. The girls worked extremely hard all week and their presentations were excellent, demonstrating very creative responses to the brief and most of all showing their engagement with the project and the knowledge and understanding they had gained.

The girls are to be congratulated on their effort and Siena College would like to thank Amanda and the team from Williams Ross Architects for their generous time and expertise offered to the students.

Siena College and Whitefriars College Musical, ‘A Chorus Line’

The buzz around Siena has been building over the past few months and we are all very excited that production week is here. Our opening night audience left the auditorium amazed at the talent on display and word of mouth has now sold out all shows bar the Saturday matinee. Limited tickets are still available for that session here.  Many hours of work have gone into the production, both on and off the stage and we would like to congratulate all students and staff whose dedication and talent have made the show 'a singular sensation'!

Music Camp

For many students, the annual music camp is one of the highlights of the year.  Students in Junior Band, Symphonic Band, Junior Choir, Junior Strings, Senior Strings and Groove Train will all be attending the ensemble rehearsals and sectionals over the weekend of 4 to 6 August. The camp will be held at the Rutherford Park Country Retreat, a warm and inviting conference centre in Blampied. 

Victorian School Music Festival (VSMF) 

Wind Orchestra, Symphonic Band, Groove Train and Junior Band will all be participating in the Victorian School Music festival. Please check the upcoming Music Dates below for the scheduled times. This festival gives our students the opportunity to perform two to three pieces to adjudicators and to listen to other bands from the same section at the Hawthorn Arts Centre or the Australian Institute of Music. Each band participates in an onstage workshop with the guest adjudicator and the conductors will also hold a tutorial session. Please look out for the CareMonkey permission forms that will be sent out shortly. 

Guitar Ensemble Extravaganza

Siena’s Guitar Ensemble has been invited to participate in the Guitar Ensemble Extravaganza, a festival for school acoustic guitar ensembles on Sunday, 29 July at MLC. This is the first festival and excursion that Siena’s guitar ensemble will be taking part in and it will be a wonderful learning opportunity for our thirteen guitar students in the ensemble. We hope they have a fantastic time and have fun!

Music Photograph Day

Ensemble students are reminded to bring their instruments on Tuesday, 31 July as we will be having our Annual Music Photographs taken on that day. All students will need to be in full winter uniform, with black tie and clean shoes. Students will be notified regarding specific photo times on the day.

Term 3 Music dates 

On 21 June, an enthusiastic team of Siena College Senior girls represented the College in the GSV Senior Basketball Tournament. Whilst we had competitive losses to Sion and Genazzano in the first round, Siena College performed well against Melbourne Girls’ Grammar, winning 50-32, before being narrowly beaten in the Preliminary Final by Sion, 25-26, despite leading with thirty seconds to go. All six players contributed and showed good sportsmanship, with a particular mention to Mietta Borg and Maisy Hammond for their rebounding efforts, attacking prowess and scoring ability.

The Siena College Aerobics team have been training hard since the beginning of the year and throughout the Term 2 holidays, in preparation for the Victorian AeroSchools Aerobics Championships last week. This culminated in nineteen students qualifying for the Australian AeroSchools Championships on the Gold Coast in September. Siena College performed exceptionally well, including first place finishes in four intermediate level categories and one senior level category. We wish them all the best for the Australian AeroSchools Championships!

On July 19, twenty girls from Siena College participated in Junior (two teams) and Senior (one team) Five-a-Side GSV Soccer at Knox Regional Centre. With a successful history at this tournament, Siena College performed very well once again, finishing as champions in the Junior section and runners up in the Senior section. All players contributed to the strong showing, with standouts being Victoria Zikas, Johanna Zikas, Zoe Kelly, Petena Ballis and Trinity Williams, who scored a decisive hat-trick in the Junior Grand Final.  

A number of Siena College students have also been rewarded for hard work and excellence and are to be congratulated. First, Johanna Zikas, who won the Pierre De Coubertin Award on June 22 at the MCG, showing the Olympic values of fair play and sportsmanship, representing Siena College with distinction. Second, Lucy Read, who recently competed in the Victorian Schools Mountain Bike Competition, winning her category, as well as finishing third overall in the junior section. Finally, to Celina Maderski, who recently went to South Korea for the 2018 World Taekwondo Cultural Expo and Competition with her Taekwondo Club, winning a bronze medal in her division, the ‘A Match Kyorugi Event’. 

With GSV Sport (Badminton, Volleyball and Soccer), the Snow Sports Interschools Competition at Mount Buller, Siena College’s Interhouse Athletics Carnival and the aforementioned Gold Coast Aerobics Competition, Term 3 is an exciting time for Siena College Sport. All the best for all of our teams and participants! 

The Building Bridges program continues for a group of Year 10 students with interesting, challenging and exciting conversations to deepen our understanding of different faith traditions. Schools from Muslim, Jewish and various Christian backgrounds meet a number of times across the year to engage with each other in the spirit of sharing and understanding each other’s religious beliefs and practices.

The Creative Day on Wednesday, 18 July was an absolute highlight and featured a prayerful service led by students of Melbourne Grammar in their beautiful chapel and an aboriginal fire ceremony in the Botanical Gardens on a sunny winter’s afternoon. We journeyed into the ancestral lands of the Koolin nation and explored their rich and thriving culture on an Indigenous walk. We experienced a traditional smoking ceremony with an Indigenous guide and discovered traditional uses of plants for food, tools and medicine.

Great conversation and a delicious lunch of pizza were shared after a morning of interfaith activities based on dialogue which led to strengthened friendships and a sense that commonality was much stronger than difference. A real Community of Inquiry helped unpack some of the big questions in our world in a respectful and open environment.

One of the key features of Catholic Studies in Year 12 is to explore the idea of Life’s Journey. Our Year 12 students are challenged to think intimately about the person they are, and want to be, as they prepare to embark on that intensely personal journey, Life’s Journey, beyond the Siena gates. Our Guest Speaker program invites students into the world of our presenters whose lives have taken surprising and challenging detours, enabling them to make a profound difference in our world.

We have been blessed with a range of interesting and challenging speakers who generously share their stories of witness with us. Early in the year, Sr Sheila Flynn OP told us about growing up in Ireland and her vision which enabled the establishment of the Kopanang community in South Africa, a place of welcome, joy and love for HIV/AIDS affected women and children. The Kopanang project was the first part of a community based response to begin training women in income generating skills (embroidery and papermaking), empowerment, personal development, dealing with critical health issues, life and death, all within a faith based context, establishing relationships, building confidence and respect for the various cultures that came together.

We also welcomed Ann Hatchett, a Community Health Nurse, who works serving the poor and homeless of Melbourne. She spoke inspiringly about health as a universal aspiration and a basic human need. Her stories of people living in the streets, parks, squatting in derelict buildings, cars or railway carriages and of moving from one shelter to another using emergency accommodation, refuges, relatives or friends reminded us that poverty is a desperate reality in our community. Ann uses her medical training in compassionate and proactive ways to bring about greater justice for those who are voiceless in our society.

Paulie Stewart, lead singer of iconic Australian punk rock group, Painters and Dockers, lost his older brother, Tony Stewart, who was one of the Balibo 5. We are privileged to host him each year, to listen to his story of profound loss, musical success and great love for the East Timorese people who also inspire his support for asylum seekers and their plight here in Australia.  In 2014, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) abandoned a war crimes investigation into the killing of five Australian newsmen at Balibo in East Timor in 1975. There has been no protest from successive Australian governments over the forty years since Balibo and the consequences for the East Timorese people were devastating. Paulie brought with him Zeca, an asylum seeker from Timor Leste. Zeca too, shared with us some of his journey, seeking refuge from violence and poverty, which has brought him to Australia, where he witnesses in schools and shares his passion for drumming. 

Insightful reflections made by our students included:

‘We were unable to come to terms with the fact that many countries, particularly Australia, turned blind eyes to East Timor’s devastating circumstances, choosing not to get involved… Despite losing his brother in this shocking way, Paulie turned disastrous circumstances into positive ones, working with the East Timorese people, building schools for disabled children… The whole story of Balibo was incredibly moving and inspired an interest in me to learn more.’ 

‘The Balibo story has sparked real curiosity in me. I am amazed at the sheer bravery of the reporters and how determined they were to report the injustice they were witnessing.’

‘What was most interesting is that there are still so many issues of injustice that Australia faces today. What was most shocking is that Australia did so little to help these people and our complete lack of sympathy and support given to one of the poorest countries in the world.’

‘As a truth seeker with a strong interest in politics and history, I found the story of Balibo striking, surprising that it is one not known, and the injustices committed against innocent civilians outrageous… It takes ten times more courage to face the issue and bring about change… What I learnt from Balibo was essential for the life I wish to lead and the world I dream of for the 21st century.’

‘Paulie is so inspiring and his work profound. I’m so grateful to have been given this insight into forgiveness and how to move forward, creating good in the world.’

‘Power and corruption are rife in this world and leave many people devoid of human rights.’

‘I found it interesting to learn of the events of Balibo and, in particular, the way this grave injustice inspired Paulie to pursue a life of action and service to work for justice for the East Timorese community. As Catholics, we can’t help but reflect on the core principles of Catholic Social Teaching and the imperative to make these real in our world.’

‘As Christians, we must strive to seek truth. Exposure to the story of Balibo has made me question what else I don’t know about in this world. Learning to question is an essential skill to make the world a better place.’ 

‘Opening my eyes to the world around me and being informed are essential if we want to make a difference. We are impelled to spread awareness. Our government acts in our name; what happened at Balibo was not transparent.’

‘Reflecting on Paulie Stewart’s presentation, this was one of the most insightful and important experiences I have heard of and participated in at Siena.’

‘The key learning I have taken away from these lessons is the importance of involving ourselves in social justice issues. It is imperative to ask questions and be diligent in raising awareness in our commitment to seeking truth and justice.’

‘In the Balibo story, every one of the Catholic Social principles was violated. This reminds me how important these are to fight for.’

As truth seekers, we must hear God’s call to action on our journey, inform ourselves, ask questions, and act with intelligent compassion. We are lifelong learners and the challenge of adulthood by virtue of our Dominican tradition is to remain contemporary and to be a voice, a crusader for justice, for those who can’t speak. The Guest Speaker program compels us not to be bystanders; rather, we are ‘upstanders’. This means that we are courageous; we care.

Siena has had an amazing start to the Debaters Association of Victoria (DAV) 2018 Schools Competition. This year, there are four teams representing Siena College, from Year 9 D Grade through to Year 12 A Grade, including both experienced debaters and students who are debating for the first time this year. The students have been dedicated to working hard, with the support of their Siena staff coaches and the Debating and Public Speaking Captain, Hayley Kennedy and Vice Captain, Annalise Skliros.

The girls have also taken part in after school training sessions with coaches from DAV leading up to each debate. These have provided a great opportunity to delve into the topics and discuss ideas and tips with some expert university debaters. We are looking forward to a wonderful season of debating and we would like to wish all of the teams well as they prepare for the final rounds.  Everyone should be very proud of their efforts both leading up to and during the debates, whether or not their team was successful in the first few rounds. The teams have been faced with some very challenging topics and have done a fantastic job, collaborating as a team and working well to prepare their arguments. We look forward to continuing to build on debating skills and confidence throughout the year. 

For Year 8 students who are interested in getting involved in debating, there will be an opportunity to participate in the Junior Schools Competition (JSP) in late Term 3. The girls will be receiving more information in the coming weeks.

We have also enjoyed having so many students involved in House Debating so far this year and we look forward to seeing some of those girls representing Siena in the Interschool Competition in future years.

Becky Scott
Head of Debating 

Below is the report from Hayley and Annalise on the first three rounds of debating.

Round 1

A Grade: Mia Catalano, Olivia Kourmadias and Hayley Kennedy
Won the debate by one point against Balwyn High

B Grade: Olivia Ventura, Olivia Wilhelm and Annalise Skliros
A very close debate against Strathcona which they unfortunately lost by only one point, with Annalise winning Best Speaker

C Grade: Elizabeth Zagon, Natasha Walsh and Mia Horozidis
Won the debate by one point against Kingswood College, with Natasha Walsh winning Best Speaker

D Grade: Amanda Marasco, Claudia Wilhelm and Jasmine Skutela
Won the debate by one point against Strathcona

Round 2

A Grade: Ellie Dickinson, Hayley Kennedy and Olivia Kourmadias
Won the debate by two points

B Grade: Hannah Walsh, Olivia Wilhelm and Jade Devlin
Unfortunate loss by five points to Camberwell Grammar

C Grade:  Mia Horozidis, Annie Walsh and Lucia Lane
Won the debate by a phenomenal four points, with Mia Horozidis winning Best Speaker

D Grade:  Mia Ng, Audrey Phommasone and Aisha Bowker
Won the debate against Trinity Grammar by one point

Round 3

A Grade: Ellie Dickinson, Maddy Harries and Bianca Cleland
A very close debate against Trinity Grammar that was unfortunately lost by only two points

B Grade: Olivia Ventura, Jade Devlin and Annalise Skliros
Won by two points against Box Hill Secondary, with Jade Devlin winning Best Speaker

C Grade:  Elizabeth Zagon, Annie Walsh and Lucia Lane
Won against Camberwell Grammar by three points, with Lucia Lane winning Best Speaker

D Grade:  Amanda Morasco, Savannah Young and Martina Lovric
Another close debate with a loss of only one point to Kew High School

A big thank you to all parents and friends who attend the debates and support our teams.  We encourage all parents and families to come and watch the debates to cheer on the debaters. Thank you also to all the coaches of the teams for giving up their time to assist and support the girls. Congratulations to all teams, the girls who won best speaker and the team coaches. Good luck to everyone for the final debate which is on Monday, 6 August at Camberwell Grammar School.

Hayley Kennedy and Annalise Skliros
Debating and Public speaking Captains

Dominican schools throughout Australia and New Zealand gather biannually to celebrate their connectedness as members of the Dominican Family and to deepen their understanding of what 'being Dominican' actually means.  This year, the On Common Ground conference was hosted by St Mary’s College in Adelaide, the theme for the conference being 'Preaching the Gospel in our Times'.  Attendees were privileged to hear international guest speakers Patrick Spedale and Michael Petro share their understanding of the Dominican tradition.  The four Dominican Pillars of Prayer, Learning, Service and Community formed a strong foundation for conference sessions and helped students gain a deeper level of understanding about the values of our tradition.  Other guest speakers included Sr Bernadette Kiley, who shared stories of the inspiring work of some of the Dominican Sisters in Palestine and Vietnam.  Firm friend of the College, Sr Sheila Flynn inspired us with her prayerful and reflective sessions pertaining to issues of Social and Eco Justice.  All attendees, both students and staff alike, greatly valued this opportunity to deepen our connections with Dominicans nationally and globally.

Siena College was fortunate to send five Year 11 Leaders to the Conference: Olivia Wilhelm, Jade Devlin, Hannah Walsh, Yasmyne Chung and Sabrina Pittorino.  Students were accompanied by staff members, Sue Thompson and Bronwyn Ilott.

A warm welcome is extended to all of our new staff:

• Nicole Gibson, Cinzia Marcelletti and Julie Thomas joined our Emergency Teacher team
• Dr Millie Holmes returns to Siena College to join the College Counselling team
• Lucianne Lewin commenced as our relief Receptionist
• Jane O’Callaghan commenced last term as a Health and Physical Education Teacher
• Tracey Roycroft commenced as our Curriculum Administrator
• Janet Stefancik joined the Finance team as the Payroll Officer

We wish a fond farewell to the following staff:

• Anne Boyle, College Counsellor
• Carolyn Dinneen, Curriculum Administrator
• Maria Pearson, Executive Assistant to the Principal
• Kathy Zammit, Payroll Officer

The HOTY (House of the Year) assembly is always an exciting event at Siena College. There is palpable tension before the bins are opened and when those red, blue, green or yellow balloons are released, the exuberance of the winning house is a joy to behold.

From the records we have in the Archives, we know that in 1948 there were two houses: Aquins (Red) and Calarogans (Green). In the 1973 Yearbook, four houses are mentioned: Red, Blue, Green and Gold. The 1974 Yearbook gives these four colours names: Waratah (Red), Dianella (Blue), Kurrajong (Green) Cassia (Gold). We welcome any information as to why the houses were given names of native plants. 

The Siena Yearbook was first published in 1972 and each issue is a valuable source for building our story. We are grateful to our Siena community for information prior to 1972. We also welcome corrections to the information we have in the Archives. 

This week’s Siena Career News has a focus on Tertiary Open Days, which are so important for senior secondary students to attend for a number of reasons.  Students can get a feel for the university, tour campus facilities, explore social opportunities (Clubs and Societies) and complete valuable research on courses they are interested in.  Checking the Open Day program is a must in order to get the most out of your day and always ensure that you attend at least one course information session.  Meeting tertiary staff and students is also hugely beneficial.  Many hints and tips are included in this week’s Siena Career News.

If you are considering studying a VET subject in 2019, you may be interested in the VET Expo. Refer to details below: 

VET Expo Flyer (10142 KB)   
> View Document

Year 7 student, Gabby, was the lucky winner of the Term 2 Canteen Online Order Competition and was presented with her prize, a Google Home Mini, on the final day of last term.

During Term 3, all online orders over $5 will receive an automatic entry to win an Amazon Alexa Echo Dot. The winner will be drawn on the last day of Term 3. 

Three easy steps to online ordering at Siena College Canteen

1. Create an account
Go to http://www.school24.net.au
Click on 'Create Account', fill in your details and submit
Please note your School Registration ID: 25307963
If you need help, call 02 8901 0398

2. Before you can start ordering, log in to your secure portal:
Add students
Top-up your account 

3. Placing an order
Select a student
Enter or select the date
Click on 'Start Order' and select from Cold Menu, Hot Menu, Snack Menu

Orders can then be collected at lunchtime from the Priority Luch Order Collection line.

Dear Parents and Guardians
Please find attached information from the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV) regarding collection of data on school students with disability.  Please note while student names are provided to CECV, only de-identified information concerning students with a disability will be passed on to Department of Education and Training.  No action is required from parents/guardians.  Any questions regarding collection of this information can be directed to Ms Simone Ryan or Mr Michael Hanrahan at the College.

CEM 2019 SWD NCCD Information Sheet parents (002) (448 KB)   
> View Document

'Every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ, who identifies with the welcomed and rejected strangers of every age.'  Pope Francis

Never before have there been so many displaced people in the world seeking refuge.  Over recent months we have witnessed the development of the Rohingya refugee crisis which has led to the displacement of more than 900,000 Rohingya people.  We have seen the ongoing and devastating impact of drought and civil war in South Sudan and in Syria, the images of people on boats in the Mediterranean and this week, children being separated from their parents as they endeavour to cross the Mexican border with the United States.  It is good to know that this legislation has been revoked and that the children will now be reunited with the parents.

In the annual Papal message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees this year, Pope Francis reminds us of the Gospel call to welcome, protect, promote and integrate every stranger for the sake of their fundamental dignity.  John Lennon wrote the lyrics of a song, ‘Imagine’. I was reminded of this song as I read these words recently (and apologies to the author for not attributing credit as I can’t recall where I read this):
'Imagine if we truly understand and live by the truth that no one wins until everyone wins. Imagine if we understand and were able to see a world where there is no “me”, only “we”, there is no “them”, only “us”. Imagine if we lived by the understanding there is no “their” children or “my” child, there is only “our” children.'

As long as injustice, persecution  and inequity of access to basic human rights persist in our world, the global migration of people will only continue.  There is much misinformation around this issue and also good news and stories of welcome and inclusion in pockets of our world and our country.  May we all continue to work towards a more just world for all people.  

Staff and students have been very busy rehearsing for the Siena College and Whitefriars College musical, A Chorus Line: High School Edition.  It has been lovely to witness the commitment, energy and excitement of all involved and I wish the cast, musicians, backstage crew and the Directors and Producers well as they prepare for Opening Night on Wednesday, 25 July.  I encourage all members of our community to come along for what promises to be a wonderful night of entertainment.

At the same time, Siena student, Vanessa Parissi is preparing to perform in the Victorian Catholic Schools’ production, Time to Shine that will take place at The Arts Centre on 28 July.  It is lovely to have a Siena student involved and I look forward to seeing Vanessa perform in this very entertaining annual event.  Tickets are still available through the Arts Centre website for the matinee and evening performance.

Throughout the academic year, our students engage in a variety of assessments.  This past week has seen all of our Year 9 to 11 students undertaking their mid year examinations.  This is an opportunity to showcase their knowledge and apply many of the skills they have learnt over the course of the semester.  Providing students with opportunities to engage in formal assessments assists in developing useful study skills and habits as well as affirming their achievements and pointing to ways to improve future learning.    We trust that parents are finding the online reporting of students’ work and progress helpful and that these mid year assessments offer an opportunity to have encouraging and supportive conversations about learning.

Over the first two days of Term 3, staff will be engaged in significant work on curriculum, compliance matters and in relation to our Mission as a Catholic school in the Dominican tradition.  On Tuesday, 17 July we will welcome a former Master General of the Dominican Order, Fr Timothy Radcliffe, to Siena College.  Fr Timothy is the author of numerous publications and is currently based in Oxford in the UK.  In 2015, he was named a consultor of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and is Patron of the International Young Leaders Network.  Fr Timothy helped launch Las Casas Institute, that deals with issues of ethics, governance and social justice.   We will be joined on that day by staff and Sisters from Our Lady of Sion College and Presentation College Windsor, as well as by members of the College Board and the wider community.  We look forward to Fr Timothy’s insights and his engaging manner as he addresses theological perspectives on aspects of Church teaching and the Gospels.

We extend our deepest condolences to staff member, Liz Merrett and former staff member, Gayle Peggie whose mother Margaret passed away on 15 June.  Gayle is Co President of the Alumnae Association and both Liz and Gayle are Siena College alumnae.

It has been a busy and productive semester and now it is time for a break and an opportunity to step back from the intensity of the past two terms to a gentler pace of life. I would like to wish all of our Siena College community a safe and enjoyable break for the upcoming holiday period, especially our Year 12s as they prepare for their final months of secondary education.  I remind all parents and students that Term 3 commences for students on Wednesday, 18 July.

Marking Environment Week at Siena

In keeping with the desires of Pope Francis promulgated through his 2015 encyclical on the environment and human ecology Laudato Si’ and the outcomes of the 2016 International Gathering of Dominicans involved in academic and social justice life, we marked World Environment Day on Tuesday, 5 June with a special Morning Prayer. In keeping with the 2018 theme, Beat Plastic Pollution, student leaders encouraged our community to look carefully at recycling procedures and minimise waste.

Service to the Community

As community members would be aware, service is one of the four pillars of Dominican spirituality.  At Siena, students seek out opportunities to serve the College and wider community as part of our education in faith, engaging students’ head, heart and hands.  We also know that, increasingly, tertiary institutions look for students who have demonstrated a commitment to local organisations, clubs and service groups, knowing they are enrolling students with a breadth of life experience, compassion and initiative.  

World Refugee Week: 18 to 24 June 2018

Today, more than ever, we need a global movement to demand the safety and rights of refugees are protected. In Australia, it is the responsibility of our Government and each one of us, to ensure people forced to flee from their homes can live with dignity and with hope.

Click here to watch James Martin SJ exploring a Scriptural perspective on refugees, migrants and foreigners.

When history looks back will it be to see them standing alone or will it see we were standing #WithRefugees ?

Semester 1 Examinations

Year 9 to 11 examinations will be returned via House Group and results will be entered onto Siena Central on Wednesday, 27 June 2018. Parents and guardians will be able to also access examination results on this day.

Semester 2 classes will commence on Monday, 25 June. Students have received their Semester 2 timetable via email and it will be available on Siena Central as of Friday, 22 June.

Please also note that Term 3 commences on Wednesday 18 July, as Monday, 16 July and Tuesday, 17 July are two staff professional learning days.

Semester 1 Reports

As you are aware, in 2018 we have enhanced our reporting system through the implementation of online feedback via Siena Central. For each assessment task, students and parents/guardians have received timely feedback and the publication of assessment task results via Siena Central. Therefore, the Semester Report is a statement of results.

The Semester Report will cover the following areas:
The Year 7 to 10 Semester Report: 

• Classroom Learning Indicators
• Victorian Curriculum Capabilities 
• Percentage score for Assessment Tasks
• An overall subject percentage score result 

The Year 11 Semester Report: 

• Classroom Learning Indicators 
• VCE Learning Outcomes (S or N) 
• Percentage score for Assessment Tasks
• An overall subject percentage score result 

The Year 12 Semester Report: 

• Will publish the Classroom Learning Indicators 
• Will publish the VCE Learning Outcomes (S or N) 
• Will publish S or N results for Assessment Tasks  
• Will only be published in Semester 1 (there will be an individual Catholic Studies subject report in Semester 2)

All Years 7 to 12 students will receive a House Group Report and those studying an instrument will also receive a music report.

How to Access Reports in Siena Central

Please refer to the instructions (below) on how to access your daughter’s Semester Report. You will be able to download this report on Friday, 29 June at 3.30pm. 
1. In Siena Central, choose your daughter’s name from the list of My Students
2. Choose the 'Academic Reports' tab from the menu bar under the student profile

If you encounter any issues logging in to Siena Central or accessing Academic Reports, please contact IThelp@siena.vic.edu.au or call 9835 0200 and ask for IT. 

Professor Michelle Welsh has stepped down from her role as Deputy Chair of the College Board after serving as a Director of Siena College since 2010.    Michelle graduated from Siena College in 1983 and has a deep affection for the College and its Dominican heritage.  Michelle was a member of the Siena Parents’ Association in 2009, a member of the Policy Committee of the Board from 2009 to 2010, and in 2010, she joined the Board Executive when she took on the role of Deputy Chair of the Board, a position she held until June 2018.  

Michelle’s pathway after graduating from Siena College lead her to a career as a solicitor, then lecturer, researcher and Professor of Business Law and Head of the Business Law and Taxation Department in Monash University Business School.  Michelle has stepped down from her role on the Board to devote more time to her professional responsibilities, but continues to support other local community organisations.  

Michelle is featured as a notable alumna in the College’s 75^th Anniversary publication.  The entry in the book states that she ‘…embodies the values of Siena College’.  Nothing could be more true. On behalf of the College, I thank Michelle for all she has done for the Siena community over these past years.  

Ten students from Years 8 to 10 recently travelled to Methodist Ladies’ College (MLC) to compete in the Boroondara Gifted Network Showcase, which involved presenting findings about issues pertaining to human colonisation on Mars. Leading into the showcase, students worked within pre selected groups of peers from participating schools and were required to collaborate using tools such as Google Hangouts to explore the following ideas relating to colonisation: the selection process of colonisers, the design of the city, laws and governance and money and financial exchange. The results of this research and the collation of information was presented to the Mars Relocation Committee (which included teachers and a student of astrophysics at Swinburne University) and the many parents also in attendance.

The day was a great success with students getting to meet face to face with their collaborators and presenting their hard work in a variety of media. Siena College students reported that they 'enjoyed the challenge of finding solutions to an issue that is not necessarily far away', 'working with like minded people' and 'showing their work to their parents at the Showcase'. 

Our participating Siena College students were: Lana Magyar, Sarah White, Gabrielle Mannix, Lucy Hodder, Zoe Kelly, Erin Baklien, Jasmine Skutela, Maria Ng, Audrey Phommasome and Jessica Ovens.
Gabrielle’s team won first prize, Zoe’s team won second place and Jasmine’s team won third place as well as the People’s Choice Award. Congratulations!

Goran Spoljaric
Learning Enhancement

Public speaking at Siena College had a fantastic start in 2018, with many girls demonstrating interest in participating in the variety of competitions on offer.  Year 10 student, Elena Cruz, performed to an exceptional level in the Rotary Club of Balwyn’s Public Speaking Competition on 7 May.  Elena spoke very eloquently and passionately on the plight of refugees and the Australian government’s approach to the issue. The standard of competition was very high.

Year 11 student, Jade Devlin, represented Siena in the Rostrum Voice of Youth Public Speaking Competition on Sunday, 20 May. She spoke on the topic 'A home for every child', performing exceptionally well.  Jade won her heat cogently and has proceeded to the semi finals. We wish her luck in the next stage of the competition.  

On Monday, 28 May Bianca Cleland, Year 12, represented the College at the VCAA Plain English Speaking Competition at St Leonards College in Brighton East.  Bianca’s self selected topic was titled 'Women vs Women in the Workforce'. She performed spectacularly, just missing out on placement into the next round. 

We have several other Public Speaking events to come this year and we are looking for more students to give it a go.  It is a fantastic learning experience and gives you that extra edge in your oral class presentations. 

One of the upcoming competitions is Siena's very own Antonio de Montesinos Award. This is a fantastic opportunity for any student, no matter your year level, to give public speaking a try.  This event is internally judged, taking stress away from speaking in front of strangers, as we are all a family here at Siena. The topic, as following tradition, is our College Theme ‘One Body, Many Parts’.  It is a great topic with many possible avenues that could be explored.  The event will be held on the evening of Wednesday, 5 September, starting at 7.00pm. More information on how to participate will be available soon.

Remember it’s never too late to join in on the fun! Just send an email to Mr Anderson or the Captains of Public Speaking to find out about the upcoming tournaments.  Everyone is welcome!

Hayley Kennedy and Annalise Skliros 
Public Speaking and Debating Captain and Vice Captain